The range of medical, psychological, and social services designed to help individuals reduce or stop substance use and manage substance use disorders. Treatment may include assessment, counselling and behavioural therapies, medication-assisted treatment, withdrawal management, and support for co-occurring mental or physical health conditions. Effective treatment is typically person-centred and evidence-informed, and may be provided in outpatient, community, or residential settings. Treatment aims to improve health and functioning, reduce substance-related harms, and support individuals in moving toward recovery and long-term wellbeing.
Treatment
A Deeper Look into the Roots of Substance Use Disorders
Addiction is often seen through the lens of poor choices or lack of willpower, but this view oversimplifies what is, in reality, a highly complex mental health condition. Through my academic journey in addiction counseling, I’ve come to...
BENEFITS OF ALLY AND PEER COLLABORATIONS IN RECOVERY WORK
Recovery Allies and Peer Recovery Support Specialists are highly resourceful individuals who can work collaboratively through actions that align with recovery principles. By working together from a science-based position and incorporating...
Beneath the Surface: Unraveling Childhood Trauma’s Role in Drug Addiction
Childhood is often painted as a carefree canvas, but for too many, it’s a battleground where unseen wounds are carved and wounds that echo into adolescence and beyond. In my project, Understanding the Impact of Childhood Trauma on Drug...
How Childhood Trauma Rewires the Brain: New Insights and Hope for Healing
Childhood trauma leaves an indelible mark not just on a person’s memories, but on the very structure and function of their brain. A groundbreaking study from the University of Essex, led by Dr. Megan Klabunde, has shed new light on how...
NIDA Summer Series (Part 5) - Unlocking New Treatments for Addiction: A Scientific Journey Through the Gut-Brain Axis
Attendance
online
Time: 1PM - 2PM EST
World Drug Report 2025
On July 2nd, 2025, ISSUP had the privilege of hosting a webinar outlining highlights from the 2025 edition of the World Drug Report (WDR), presented by Ms. Giovanna Campello, Chief of the Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Section at...
A Call for Trauma-Informed Justice Reform in Nigeria: Breaking the Cycle of Substance Use, Mental Illness, and Incarceration
By Seye Omiyefa Across Nigeria and many parts of the world, thousands of individuals, particularly youth and economically marginalized people, are trapped in a revolving door of arrest, incarceration, and reentry. Much of this cycle is...
Effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention in individuals with substance use disorders:
Abstract Objectives: This systematic review aimed to understand the current state of the art about the effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP) on individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), taking into account not...
Psychological interventions for antisocial personality disorder.
Abstract Background: Antisocial personality disorder (AsPD) is associated with poor mental health, criminality, substance use and relationship difficulties. This review updates Gibbon 2010 (previous version of the review). Objectives: To...
The outcome of integrated motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral therapy in Egyptian patients with substance use disorder.
Abstract Objectives The authors aimed to evaluate the outcome of combined motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioural therapy (MICBT) for substance use disorder compared to the twelve-step facilitation (TSF) therapy in terms of...