Mindful Continuing Education

Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior

Introduction

1. Abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and illicit and prescription drugs cost Americans more than $700 billion a year in increased health care costs, crime, and lost productivity, and each year, illicit and prescription drugs and alcohol contribute to the death of more than 90,000 Americans, while tobacco is linked to an estimated 480,000 deaths per year.

A. True B. False

Drug Abuse and Addiction- Is Continued Drug Abuse a Voluntary Behavior?

2. Brain imaging studies of people with addiction show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning and memory, and behavior control, and scientists believe that these changes alter the way the brain works and may help explain the compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction.

A. True B. False

What Biological Factors Increase the Risk of Addiction?

3. Each of the following is an accurate statement about biological factors, other factors, and addiction EXCEPT:

A. A person's stage of development and other medical conditions they may have are factors that influence addiction B. Adolescents and people with mental disorders are at greater risk of drug abuse and addiction than the general population C. Scientists estimate that genetic factors account for between 25 and 45 percent of a person's vulnerability to addiction, which includes the effects of external factors on the function and expression of a person's genes D. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, research shows that the earlier a person begins to use drugs, the more likely he or she is to develop serious problems

4. The adolescent's brain is a work in progress that puts them at increased risk for making poor decisions, and drug use during this time may cause damage to the ____________, the part of the brain that enables us to assess situations, make sound decisions, and keep our emotions and desires under control.

A. Cerebellum B. Cerebral cortex C. Hippocampus D. Prefrontal cortex

Preventing Drug Abuse: The Best Strategy- How Do Research-Based Prevention Programs Work?

5. Prevention programs work to boost protective factors and eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use, and specifically, comprehensive programs address risk and protective factors common to all children in a given setting, such as a school or community, while designated programs are designed for youth who have already begun using drugs.

A. True B. False

Drugs and the Brain- How Do Drugs Work in the Brain to Produce Pleasure?

6. Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain's reward system by flooding the circuit with serotonin, a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.

A. True B. False

Long-Term Drug Abuse Impairs Brain Functioning

7. Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about how long-term substance abuse impairs brain functioning?

A. With continued drug use, the neurotransmitter's impact on the reward circuit of the brain of someone who abuses drugs can become abnormally low, and that person's ability to experience any pleasure is reduced B. A person who abuses drugs eventually feels flat, lifeless, and depressed, and he or she will often need to take larger amounts of the drug to produce the familiar high, an effect known as resistance C. Long-term drug abuse can trigger adaptations in habit or non-conscious memory systems, and may cause triggers in uncontrollable cravings whenever the person is exposed to certain cues, even if the drug itself is not available D. Chronic exposure to drugs of abuse disrupts the way critical brain structures interact to control and inhibit behaviors related to drug use

Addiction and Health

8. Specific effects of _________ include the production of both stimulant and mind-altering effects including increased body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and heart-wall stress, as well as nerve cells toxicity.

A. MDMA (Ecstasy or "Molly") B. Opioids C. LSD D. Inhalants

Treatment and Recovery

9. The chronic nature of the disease means that relapsing to drug abuse at some point is not only possible, but likely, and relapse rates for people with addiction and other substance use disorders are significantly higher than relapse rates for other well-understood chronic medical illnesses which also have both physiological and behavioral components, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.

A. True B. False

How Can Medications Help Treat Drug Addiction?

10. Research shows that combining treatment medications with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients, and various medications may be useful at different stages of treatment to help a patient stop abusing drugs, and to stay in treatment, and avoid relapse.

A. True B. False

How Do Behavioral Therapies Treat Drug Addiction?

11. Behavioral treatments help engage people in substance use disorder treatment, and ______________ uses positive reinforcement such as providing rewards or privileges for remaining drug free, for attending and participating in counseling sessions, or for taking treatment medications as prescribed.

A. Motivational Enhancement Therapy B. Contingency Management C. Social Learning Therapy D. Skills and Communication Training

12. Since addiction can affect so many aspects of a person's life, treatment must address the needs of the whole person to be successful, and the best programs incorporate a variety of rehabilitative services into their comprehensive treatment regimens.

A. True B. False


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