Addiction Treatment

The centerpiece of this presentation is dedicated to providing as simple and accessible an introduction to the neuroscience of addiction as possible. But the guiding rationale behind this ongoing project has more direct, clinical implications. Addiction and recovery are unfortunately often hamstrung by personal feelings of shame and cultural attitudes of stigma. In this presentation, we intend to explore in-depth the usefulness of applying up-to-date, evidence-based concepts from neuroscience. The aim is to provide clinical tools for reducing the shame and stigma that so often accompany addiction and recovery – whether for the client in recovery, his/her spouse and family, and even the therapist. Our specific focus throughout this lecture/dialogue is on summarizing and practically applying recent findings from neuroscience about addiction as an empirically documented brain disease. Speaker Bio: Dr. Bob Weathers is a curriculum developer at California Southern University. He has more than 35 years of experience educating graduate-level clinicians. In addition to having served as the founding clinical director of a nationally recognized residential drug and alcohol treatment center for adults, Dr. Weathers has decades of professional experience providing psychotherapy and coaching to clients presenting with the entire range of clinical issues and concerns. A sought-after speaker and prolific writer, Dr. Weathers’ current research areas of interest focus on reducing shame and stigma in addiction and recovery by means of instructing clients and their families about addiction and the brain.

The interpersonal neurobiology (INPB) of addiction is arguably the most comprehensive model for understanding addiction today. INPB illuminates that there is no distinction between addiction and mental health, and that there is no separating relationship between psychology and neurobiology. In presenting on this topic, renowned author, professor and clinician Jon Daily illustrates how the above systems work together, as well as explores how attunement and secure attachment affect one’s emotional, psychological and neurological development and, concomitantly, one’s regulatory systems. Daily utilizes detailed case examples to make the concepts immediately applicable, validating and stretching attendees both professionally and educationally. Learning Objectives: Those who view this lecture will learn: - Addicts are not hooked on drugs, but rather, they are hooked on a pathological relationship to intoxication. Drug use is both a “consequence of” and a “solution for” failed relationships. - The name of the drug the addict is using is an illusion which contributes to biases and traps for clinicians, as well as the systems around the addict. - How to show clients “in the here and now” that a relationship with a specialist can activate dopamine and opiate systems. - How to identify approaches for breaking down denial and increasing motivation for sobriety and wellness. Speaker Bio: Jon Daily, LCSW, CADC-II is the founder and clinical director for Recovery Happens Counseling Services and specializes in the outpatient treatment of adolescents, young adults and their families with addictive disorders and dual-diagnosis issues. A recipient of numerous awards for his work, Daily is the co-author of How to Help Your Child Become Drug Free and Adolescent and Young Adult Addiction: The Pathological Relationship to Intoxication and the Interpersonal Neurobiology Underpinnings. Daily has instructed nurses, medical residents and post-doctoral students at the University of California, Davis. Currently, he teaches graduate students at the University of San Francisco and is the developer of a chemical dependency track within a Sacramento-based psychiatric hospital. He has trained thousands of clinicians working with youth, young adults and adults. A sought-after commentator on addiction, he regularly appears in both the local and national media, including NBC’s Today Show. More information on Daily’s work can be found at www.recoveryhappens.com