Multimedia Resources

Includes On the Web and In the News links curated by the authors, along with other audio/video content.

Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

News

In the News: Taking the Pain Out of Addiction

Description: This news article accompanies the In the News feature in this chapter.

Video

Video 1: Classes of Psychoactive Drugs

Description: How are depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and opiates different from each other?

Video 2: The Truth about Bath Salts

Description: Drug abuse researcher Michael Taffe, PhD at the Scripps Research Institute, explains the effects that bath salts and its endless variants have on the body.

Video 3: The Chemistry of Addiction

Description: This video describes how our brains respond biochemically to various addictive substances and behaviors and where those responses have come from.

Video 4: Why Bad Habits Are Hard to Break

Description: CBS 60 minutes interview with Nora Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Video 5: Drug Addiction as a Learning Disorder

Description: Short video that describes how traditional definitions of addiction have ignored crucial psychological qualities of addiction.

Video 6: An Evidence-Based View of Addiction and Drug Policy

Description: Carl Hart, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at Columbia University, offers a provocative, evidence-based view of addiction and discusses how it should impact drug policy.

Audio

Audio 1: How We Think about Addiction

Description: This episode of Radio Lab looks at the craving desire states that return people to the object of their addiction … and the pills that just might set them free.

Web

On the Web 1: Heroin/The Effects of Drugs on the Nervous System

Description: The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Heroin page is a good source for research and other information on heroin and its effects. Check “The Effects of Drugs on the Nervous System” at the Neuroscience for Kids site for information on more than a dozen drugs.

On the Web 2: Alcoholics Anonymous

Description: The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) site has information about AA, testimonials from members, and a quiz for teenagers (or anybody else) to help them decide if they have a drinking problem.

On the Web 3: Cocaine Anonymous

Description: Cocaine Anonymous offers news, information, a self-test for addiction, and a directory of local groups.

On the Web 4: Tobacco/Nicotine

Description: NIDA’s Tobacco/Nicotine page provides facts, publications, and links to other sites.

On the Web 5: LSD, Ecstasy, and PCP/“Travels in the New Psychedelic Bazaar”

Description:NIDA also has information on LSD, ecstasy, and PCP. “Travels in the New Psychedelic Bazaar” addresses the history of synthetic psychedelics and the dangers they pose.

On the Web 6: Marijuana Anonymous/Marijuana/Medical Marijuana/Attitudes toward Legalization of Marijuana/States Most Likely to Decriminalize Use

Description: There’s even a Marijuana Anonymous, and its site offers a variety of publications for the person who wants to stop using marijuana or for the student who wants to learn more. Of course, NIDA has its Marijuana page, too. And ProCon.org’s Medical Marijuana page has arguments for and against the medical use of marijuana, along with discussions of legal issues and marijuana’s use with each of 16 different diseases. See how attitudes toward legalization of marijuana have changed, and a list of 14 states most likely to decriminalize use.

On the Web 7: Web of Addictions

Description: The Web of Addictions provides fact sheets, links to a variety of other information sites, contact information for support organizations and other organizations concerned with drug problems, and in-depth reports on special topics.

On the Web 8: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Description: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website has a broad range of information for the general public and for professionals. The NIDA site provides news, research information, and information on prevention for parents, teachers, and students.