In my DARC 158 Biology of Addictions course, I was introduced to the medical side behind addictive personalities and the reasonings for addictions. Here we studied both the short- and long-term consequences of substance use and abuse as to all systems of the body. From these studies I was able to better understand the biology of addiction in dual diagnosis patients and how their psychology affects and directly impacts their addiction. This knowledge has been invaluable in my work with dual diagnosis patients, giving me the knowledge to better understand how each patient's addiction can be insidious.

My DARC 251-252 Counseling Internship solidified my decision to be a substance abuse and psychiatric counselor. Here I was given the unique opportunity to put what I have learned in the classroom to use in an actual field setting. In my internship I spent fifteen hours a week working directly with substance abuse...
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