COUN 130: Understanding Addiction

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2024
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
District General Education: D2. Behavioral Science
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: No
Grading Method: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass

Catalog Course Description

This course offers an exploration of the psychological, sociological, and physical causes and effects of alcohol and drug use and abuse. It provides an overview of the nature of addiction, including theories of substance abuse and identification of signs and symptoms. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the impact addiction has on families, children, and society. The course also delves into public policies and societal attitudes toward alcohol and drug abuse, as well as mental health and drugs. Additionally, it covers the history of alcohol and drug abuse. The course identifies treatment resources, dispels myths about abuse, and discusses the addiction counseling profession. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Distinguish the difference between drug use, misuse and abuse.
  • Describe the consequences of drug use, both psychotherapeutic and harmful effects.
  • Identify the personal and social factors and concerns of drug taking behavior.
  • Describe drug laws and historical legal cases and perspective of drug use.
  • Analyze the current public health issues of drug use, including political, social and economic factors.
  • Discuss effects of substance abuse on the family.
  • Describe the effect of the environmental and sociological factors in the development of alcoholism/substance abuse.
  • List known identifiable substance abuse symptoms.
  • Define the different types of tolerance and dependence.
  • Discuss the history of legislative efforts to regulate and control drug availability and their impact.
  • Define short-term and long-term consequences of drug use, abuse, and dependency.
  • Analyze the characteristics of addiction and populations most at risk due to age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and age at first initiation.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of various social systems in dealing with addiction use disorders.
  • Identify mal-adaptive behavior, who experiences it, what causes it, and how it can be improved.

Major Course Content

1. Introduction

  1. Drug use in historical and modern society
  2. The nature of addiction
  3. Social attitudes
  4. Use, misuse, abuse, and dependency of psychoactive substances

2. Alcohol and other drugs

  1. Digestion, absorption, breakdown and removal
  2. Acute effects
  3. Cumulative effects
  4. Medical complications for body systems
  5. Male/Female differences
  6. Sleep disturbances
  7. Basic actions of drugs on the nervous system
  8. Tolerance and withdrawal

3. Drug-regulated legislation and drugs as a social problem

  1. Past and present drug regulation
  2. Broad views of addiction and social systems that attempt to find solutions

4. Addiction: Definitions, Theories and Models

  1. Disease Model
  2. Biopsychosocial Model
  3. DSM-V

5. Classifications of drug categories

1. CNS - Depressants

  1. Sedatives - Hypnotics
  2. Alcohol - pharmacological effects and behavioral perspectives
  3. Narcotics (Opioids)
  4. Marijuana

2. Stimulants

  1. Cocaine
  2. Methamphetamine
  3. Tobacco
  4. Caffeine

3. Hallucinogens (Psychedelics)

  1. LSD
  2. Mushrooms

4. Inhalants 

5. Steroids 

6. Over the Counter (OTC), prescriptions, and herbal drugs 

6. Effects of substance abuse problems on family

7. Prevention strategies and treatment modalities

  1. Screening and evaluation
  2. Intervention/referral
  3. Case management
  4. Types of counseling services (Individual, Group, Family)
  5. Aftercare and follow-up

8. Treatment Techniques

  1. 12-Step organizations
  2. Spiritual counseling
  3. Behavioral techniques
  4. Meditation

  5. From Denial to Recovery

9. Components of addiction

  1. Terminology
  2. Physiological components of substance disorders and addiction
  3. Chemical reaction
    1. Risk factors
    2. Safety measures
  4. Tolerance
  5. Dependence
  6. Psychological effects of substances

10. Education and prevention

  1. Resilience and primary prevention efforts
  2. National drug control policy
  3. Public health
  4. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
  5. Historical approaches
  6. School-based prevention programs
  7. Community-based prevention programs
  8. Family systems
  9. College campuses
  10. Teenage substance abuse
  11. Multicultural Issues

11. Addiction and Diverse Populations

  1.  Women
  2. The employed
  3. Adolescents
  4. The elderly
  5. Suicidal individuals
  6. LGBTQ+
  7. Formerly incarcerated individuals

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Loosening the Grip: A Handbook of Alcohol Information. Treatment of Addictions, Individual and Group Alternative Training.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

1. Write a personal reflection essay that explores the impact of addiction on individuals, families, and society. 2. Opinion essay that examines the social impact of addiction. 3. Term paper and written report on the consequences of addiction as it relates to harming the individual. 4. Comparative Analysis of Addiction Models. Students will be asked to compare and contrast different addiction models, such as the disease model, biopsychosocial model, or social learning theory.

Examples of Outside Assignments

1. Community outreach and awareness project. In this assignment, students will work on community outreach and awareness project related to addiction. They can choose a specific topic, such as the dangers of substance abuse, prevention strategies, or available support services. 2. Reading assignments on understanding addiction. 3. Research for term paper and oral presentations and written analysis of addiction case studies. 4. Community Resource Scavenger Hunt. Students will explore local or online resources related to addiction. 5. Personal Reflection Journals. Students will maintain a personal reflection journal. In this journal, they can record their evolving understanding of addiction, reactions to class materials, and connections to their own lives or experiences.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture