ATOD Topics for Counselors

This course will address key topics pertaining to the use, abuse and dependency on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) to promote understanding of factors that underlie prevention and treatment of addiction. It seeks to broaden the student’s knowledge of historical facts about ATOD to include social, cultural and political influences on use as well as etiological models that have been advanced to explain dependence and addiction. This course will also examine topics that pertain to physical and pharmacological effects of drugs of abuse, medical diseases and conditions associated with abuse and provide an overview of approaches that are considered to be effective in screening, evaluating and treating addiction to ATOD. Finally, this course will cover approaches to family and community education and prevention to encourage wellness and increase understanding of addiction.