By Leah Bosworth and Ashley Gomez
NE students can learn the new definition of recovery from alcohol and other drugs from a guest speaker next week.
Dr. Carlton Erickson, distinguished professor of pharmacology/toxicology, will present The Reality of Alcohol and Other Drugs Recovery as Explained by Neuroscience May 5 in the NSTU Center Corner.
“Most of the information about addiction out there is either incomplete or not based on science,” he said. “The word addiction is a sloppy, unscientific and stigmatizing term used to describe drug abuse and chemical dependence.”
He also plans to list the ideal treatments for drug abuse.
“I want the group to get an understanding of what alcoholism really means and what the brain endures during this process,” he said.
As the director of the Addiction Science Research and Education Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Erickson is an active researcher and science educator who believes new research on addiction can be successfully transmitted to non-scientists who need such information.
“I have been in this field for over 40 years,” he said. “And I became very interested in it because many people didn’t know much about it back then and still don’t know much about it now.”
Erickson based a lot of his studies from attending alcohol awareness courses, which he plans to explain during his presentation.
He said he hopes to educate students about the diagnosis of abuse and dependence and explain how both are different.
“Drug abuse is a poor decision, and chemical dependence is a brain disease caused by drinking and drugging and, in some cases, genetic factors,” he said.
Erickson has been studying addiction science for 40 years and speaks to college students multiple times each year.
“This [information] is significant because the addiction term is misused,” he said.
“Erickson is one of the best nationally acclaimed speakers, and I cannot wait to hear his presentation,” said continuing education instructional assistant Amy Kubes.
The three-hour seminar 1-4 p.m. begins with a complimentary light lunch at 12:30 p.m. The presentation is free to students and $20 for professionals.
Those wanting to attend should register through Julie Dennis at julie.dennis@tccd.edu or 817-515-6417.
