AOD and the Brain

This full day workshop targets practitioners working in specialist alcohol and drug and mental health settings who want to develop an in-depth neurobiological understanding of how psychoactive substances affect the brain and body.

By the end of this workshop learners will be able to:

•    Classify different drugs based on their effects
•    Understand the anatomy of the brain and body’s messaging systems and how they operate
•    Understand the process of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
•    Describe key neurotransmitters and how substances affect their activity
•    Understand and describe concepts of intoxication, tolerance, dependence and withdrawal.
•    Identify different routes of administration and how this impacts a person's experience and risk exposure
•    Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of how a substance moves through the body, including concepts of absorption, distribution, bioavailability, metabolism, elimination and drug half-lives.
•   How dependence develops and can be assessed to inform treatment planning

NB: This workshop is a pre-requisite to the Assessing and Managing Withdrawal Virtual and Face 2 Face workshops. An alternative pre-requisite is the AOD and the Brain e-learning, which takes approximately two hours to complete.

Tea, coffee and a light lunch are provided at all full-day workshops.