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Understanding Drugs and Addiction

How do addictions develop? How are they best treated and prevented? Explore these key questions with this free online course.

40,700 enrolled on this course

A syringe, spoon, lighter, pills and other items associated with drugs and addiction
  • Duration

    6 weeks
  • Weekly study

    4 hours

We are all touched by addiction – personally, within our circle of family and friends, and within our community. Addiction and its related harms can be crippling for those affected and the people around them.

But how does addiction develop? What can we do to treat it? And what can we do to prevent it?

Explore how addiction develops

In this free online course, we’ll explore how addiction develops, looking at the environmental, genetic and personal risks involved.

We’ll examine what happens when a drug enters your body and your brain, how your brain changes, and how this process can make recovering from addiction such a challenge.

You’ll learn how we can best treat addiction, and how national and international policies help limit the harms from addiction.

Meet experts in addiction science and treatment

King’s College London is a world leader in the science and treatment of addiction. Educators on this course are drawn from a variety of disciplines throughout the university, and work together to understand and respond to addiction.

Each week, we’ll be joined by some of the world’s leading scientists, who will present cutting edge neuroscientific research - research that will lead to a greater understanding of how addiction develops and how we can treat it most effectively.

By understanding addiction, we can shed light on the greater issues of self-control and choice. Indeed, we will develop a greater understanding of ourselves.

Skip to 0 minutes and 8 seconds Can I ask you three questions? How does a like become a love? How does a taste become a need? How does desire become compulsion? We are all touched in some way by addiction whether personally, socially within our circle of family and friends, or within our community. Addiction, and its related harms, can be crippling for those affected, and for the people around them. But how does addiction develop? What can we do to treat it? And what can we do to prevent it? In this course we explore how addiction develops. We look at the risks in the environment,

Skip to 0 minutes and 50 seconds in our personalities, in our genes: we look at the risks for developing addiction. We examine what happens when a drug enters you body and your brain, and how the reward centre of your brain becomes activated. We look at how your brain changes in response to drugs. And we look at how this process can make recovering from addiction such a challenge.

Skip to 1 minute and 20 seconds Our team will describe how we can best treat addiction, and how governments, nationally and internationally, can help limit the harms from addiction. King’s College London are world leaders in the science and treatment of addiction. Lecturers on this course are drawn from a variety of disciplines thoughout King’s College; a team who work together to understand and respond to addiction. Each week our teaching is supplemented by some of the world’s leading scientists who will present their own cutting edge neuroscientific research into addiction, research that will lead to a greater understanding of how addiction develops and how we can treat it most effectively. By understanding addiction, we can shed light on the greater issues of self control and choice.

Skip to 2 minutes and 17 seconds Indeed, by understanding addiction, we can develop a greater understanding of ourselves. My name is Dr Kyle Dyer, I’m a psychopharmacologist at King’s College London and, on behalf of the team, I look forward to meeting you on our course.

What topics will you cover?

  • The nature of addiction and its diagnostic criteria.
  • The pharmacology and neuroanatomy of addiction and dependence.
  • Biological, genetic and environmental factors associated with the development of addiction.
  • The consequences of addiction, including the complex relationship between mental health, drug abuse and addiction.
  • The nature and range of treatment approaches and options available for addiction.
  • The role of international and national policy in responding to addiction.
  • First-hand account of an adult’s experience of addiction.
  • Current research studies and techniques in addiction science.
  • Future directions and challenges in addiction science, policy and treatment.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Discuss the nomenclature, nature and diagnostic criteria for addiction.
  • Describe the psychopharmacological basis of drug action, neurotransmission, tolerance and dependence, including the neuroanatomical structures relevant for addiction and the role of neuroimaging in understanding drug action and neuroadaptation.
  • Explain the genetic, individual and environmental factors associated with addiction, including gene * environment interactions
  • Summarise the psychosocial and health-related harms of addiction, including the effect of drug abuse and addiction upon foetal and child development.
  • Describe the relationship between mental health problems, drug abuse and addiction, the link between cannabis and the onset of psychosis and the issues around dual diagnosis.
  • Describe the general nature and range of treatment approaches for addiction.
  • Explain the rationale for pharmacotherapeutic treatment approaches for addiction and the role of social setting and support in recovery.
  • Discuss the economic benefit of effective addiction treatment.
  • Describe the general nature of the role of policy in responding to drug related harm.
  • Explain the role of policy on availability, accessibility and marketing upon drug prevalence.
  • Debate the issues surrounding the legalisation or criminalisation of drugs of abuse.

Who is the course for?

No specialist knowledge or previous experience is required.

Who will you learn with?

Dr Kyle Dyer is Director of Distance Learning at the IoPPN, Kings College London and studies the acute effects of drugs of abuse. 'Follow' to see my comments in your activity feed and twitter @MahliD

Who developed the course?

King's College London

King’s College London, established in 1829 and a founding college of the University of London, is one of the world’s leading research and teaching universities, based in the very heart of London.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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