ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter sets the stage for successful addiction interventions by defining substance use disorders and their diagnosis. A case is made for addiction as a brain disease, and the text discusses the “how” and “why” of addiction. The authors explore how trauma is indigenous to substance abuse, linking the two conditions. Then this chapter looks at the connection between chronic pain and the use of drugs and alcohol in self-medication. Finally, the text addresses tertiary issues related to addiction, a condition the authors call the “triple threat”; in addition to co-occurring disorders that compound behavioral healthcare issues as a result of a prior condition (i.e. mental health disorder or illness), exacerbated additional factors such as physical, legal, traumatic, and environmental factors make it challenging to treat addiction in today’s landscape.
