Course Catalogue

LJMU Partner Taught

To establish a sound understanding of the key concepts, models and theories used to understand alcohol and substance misuse; being aware of how these have developed throughout the course of history. To explore the bio-psycho-social elements of drug dependency; taking into consideration those factors that influence initial use, the development of dependent behaviour patterns, attempts at recovery or mitigation of harm and relapse; enabling the evaluation of their use in delivering alcohol and substance interventions.

Outline Syllabus:The module will offer candidates an opportunity to gain a thorough grounding in the key concepts and theories used to understand alcohol and substance misuse. This grounding will provide a foundation to the subsequent modules that focus on responses to alcohol and substance misuse; supporting the development of knowledge of past, present and potential future theoretical frameworks used to underpin policy and practice. The module will address how professional understanding of addiction theory has developed within the context of wider societal determinants such as substance misuse patterns and values, morals and attitudes towards alcohol and substance misuse. Finally modern perspectives of addiction theory will be explored. These will have a foundation in the bio-psychosocial model and draw strongly upon cognitive psychological models that have recently been presented to explain addictive behaviours and support the delivery of successful harm reduction, treatment and recovery interventions. Introduction to the module and assessment Defining drugs and drug use and misuse Drug use and misuse through history Drugs and their effects. Categorising drugs, e.g. stimulants / depressants / hallucinogen Group work presentations of a drug from each category Opportunity to get grounding in the ways that drugs work Patterns of use and misuse Understanding dependency Reasons why people use and misuse Responding to drug use and misuse – historical over view of drug and alcohol treatment Bio-psychosocial model Cognitive behaviour approaches Motivation, choice and health related behaviours Current perspectives on addiction Using and assessing information sources in the addiction field Reliability and validity of alcohol and substance misuse use related information and literature Discussion around assignment choice Reflection on the module

Additional Information:In this module students will gain an overview of various substances including their pharmacological make up. Key theories and models underpinning our perception of misuse and addiction behaviour will be explored. In addition, the module aims to evaluate the success and outcomes of interventions in practice. Regular tutorials will provide opportunities for informal formative assessment to support student learning and discuss their overall progress.