Online Alcohol Drug Classes at Tom Wilson Counseling

Frequently Asked Questions about Adolescent Drug Use, Part 3 Reprinted from the  National Institute of Drug Abuse  by  Tom Wilson Counseling Center  offering  online substance abuse education for adults and adolescents . 5. Is abuse of prescription medications as dangerous as other forms of illegal drug use? Psychoactive prescription drugs, which include opioid pain relievers, stimulants prescribed for ADHD, and central nervous system depressants prescribed to treat anxiety or sleep disorders, are all effective and safe when taken as prescribed by a doctor for the conditions they are intended to treat. However, they are frequently abused— that is, taken in other ways, in other quantities, or by people for whom they weren’t prescribed— and this can have devastating consequences. In the case of opioid pain relievers such as Vicodin® or OxyContin®, there is a great risk of addiction and death from overdose associated with such abuse. Especially when pills ...

Did you get a DUI, MIP, Alcohol or Drug arrest in one state but live in another state?    Our online classes have been accepted by most states, courts, judges, attorneys, probation, parole, employers, colleges and universities to meet court, agency, employment and student requirements for a DUI, Alcohol Drug Awareness, Minor in Possession, or Drug charges, as well as meeting requirements for education for employment or college and university enrollment. Please check state or court requirements before enrolling. Complete DUI, Alcohol Awareness, Minor in Possession, Drug Diversion Programs Online for court with Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. Includes FREE 60 minute Victim Impact Panel for Court Requirements.  Tom Wilson Counseling Center has been providing approved classes online since 2004 for DUI, Alcohol, Drug, Anger Management, Conflict Management, Petty Theft Shoplifting, Traffic Safety, Parent Education, Thinking Er...

Frequently Asked Questions about Adolescent Drug Use, Part 2 Reprinted from the  National Institute of Drug Abuse  by  Tom Wilson Counseling Center  offering  online substance abuse education for adults and adolescents . 3. How do adolescents become addicted to drugs, and which factors increase risk?  Addiction occurs when repeated use of drugs changes how a person’s brain functions over time. The transition from voluntary to compulsive drug use reflects changes in the brain’s natural inhibition and reward centers that keep a person from exerting control over the impulse to use drugs even when there are negative consequences—the defining characteristic of addiction. Some people are more vulnerable to this process than others, due to a range of possible risk factors. Stressful early life experiences such as being abused or suffering other forms of trauma are one important risk factor. Adolescents with a history of physical and/or sexual abuse are mor...

A new study in the American Journal Of Psychiatry (Volume 171, Issue 6, June 2014) shows that incorporating the web-based educational intervention in the treatment of drug abuse can not only help people stop using drugs, but can also keep them in treatment longer. TES is a web-based version of the Community Reinforcement Approach plus Contingency Management, a packaged approach with demonstrated efficacy.  The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the NIH, funded this study. TES consists of 62 interactive modules that teach patients how to achieve and maintain abstinence from drug use and includes prize-based motivational incentives to encourage adherence to treatment.  Patients given TES were less likely to drop out of treatment than those in the control group.  Also, the web-based intervention helped patients stay abstinent from drug use, even those who were not abstinent at the beginning of the study.  With such findings, web-based interventions ...

Understanding Pretrial Diversion A criminal conviction for an alcohol or drug offense, whether misdemeanor or felony, can create an avalanche of unintended consequences that often ends with individuals becoming further enmeshed in the legal system which can prevent them from being a productive member of the community. Tom Wilson Counseling Center specializes in online alcohol and drug abuse education for participants who have qualified for a pretrial diversion program in any state. Pretrial diversion programs afford individuals an opportunity to address their behavior without resulting in a criminal conviction. These diversion programs may occur as early as street-level law enforcement intervention, or as late as court involvement, but the distinguishing characteristic is that there will not be a conviction recorded in an individual’s record. Many pretrial diversion defendants are referred for alcohol and substance abuse intervention , with low risk offenders sent to less inte...

Frequently Asked Questions About Adolescent Drug Use Reprinted from the National Institute of Drug Abuse by Tom Wilson Counseling Center  offering online substance abuse education for adults and adolescents. 1. Why do adolescents take drugs? Adolescents experiment with drugs or continue taking them for several reasons, including: • To fit in: Many teens use drugs “because others are doing it”—or they think others are doing it—and they fear not being accepted in a social circle that includes drug-using peers. • To feel good: Abused drugs interact with the neurochemistry of the brain to produce feelings of pleasure. The intensity of this euphoria differs by the type of drug and how it is used. • To feel better: Some adolescents suffer from depression, social anxiety, stress-related disorders, and physical pain. Using drugs may be an attempt to lessen these feelings of distress. Stress especially plays a significant role in starting and continuing drug use as well as ret...