This survey course provides a broad overview of the addiction field. An understanding of why psychoactive substances are used, misused, and abused will be reviewed from three perspectives: biological, psychological, and sociological providing a holistic understanding of this complex phenomenon. The five groupings of psychoactive agents will be studied along with an examination of both addiction-specific and general community resources utilized in treatment and recovery. The course concludes with an examination of at risk populations and how addiction contributes to the creation of oppression.
