Medication-Assisted Treatment for Alcohol and Opioid Addiction Pacific Southwest ATTC www.uclaisap.org www.psattc.org Goals of the Training • As a result of participating in this training, participants will be able to describe or name: – Common perceptions of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) – The basics of brain functioning in relation to MAT – How medications to treat alcoholism and drug abuse work in the brain – The types of agencies where MAT is offered – Additional resources available to you. Why do people take drugs? To feel better To feel good To lessen: Anxiety To have novel: Worries Feelings Fears Sensations Depression Experiences Hopelessness AND Withdrawal To share them In other words: A Major Reason People Take a Drug is they Like What It Does to Their Brains Science of Addiction Advances in medicine and scientific techniques have given researchers a clearer idea of what addiction is: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – Positron emission tomography (PET) scan – Advanced genetic research – IMAGING THE BRAIN PET MRI SPECT Normal Dopamine Transmission