Course outline
Substance Abuse Education
An educational course on substance use patterns, triggers, coping skills, and relapse prevention — not a treatment program, but a solid starting point.
This course comes in lengths from 1 to 24 hours, so you can pick exactly what you need. If you're here because a length was required by court, an employer, or another program, just match that length on the pricing page — the content is the same either way, just more or less of it. Whichever length you choose, every course comes with an enrollment letter you can download the moment you enroll, so you have proof you've started right away, plus a certificate with a verification number once you finish. Your access never expires, and if you need more hours later, what you paid counts toward the longer course.
The full curriculum is 24 one-hour lessons. Shorter tiers unlock the same lessons starting from Hour 1 — pick the length you need on the pricing page. Every lesson is fully narrated. Hour 1 is free to try (the free lesson doesn't include a certificate); the rest open when you enroll.
HOUR 1
Introduction to Understanding Substance Use
- Describe how this course works and what it is and is not.
- Explain substance use as a spectrum that runs from no use to a substance use disorder.
- Identify person-first language and why respectful wording matters.
- Practice a few simple habits for getting the most from the course.
HOUR 2
How Substances Affect the Brain and Body
- Describe the brain's reward pathway and the role dopamine plays in it.
- Explain tolerance, dependence and the three-stage cycle that researchers use to describe repeated substance use.
- Identify why willpower alone is only part of the story and why support helps.
- Practice naming a stage of the cycle and planning around cues and stress.
HOUR 3
Recognizing Patterns of Risky Use
- Describe the four groups of criteria that clinicians use to recognize a substance use disorder.
- Explain what a standard drink is and what published guidance says about low-risk drinking.
- Identify the difference between a screening tool and a diagnosis.
- Practice a private self-reflection and a short script for talking with a health professional.
HOUR 4
Honest Self-Assessment: Moving Past Denial and Minimizing
- Explain why minimizing and denial are common human responses and not character flaws.
- Describe decisional balance and the spirit of motivational interviewing.
- Identify the difference between facts and judgments when looking at a personal pattern.
- Practice tracking a pattern and completing a pros and cons exercise without shame.
HOUR 5
Triggers and High-Risk Situations
- Define a trigger and describe how repeated pairings can link places, people, times and feelings with a habit.
- Identify social, environmental, emotional, cognitive and physical triggers in everyday examples.
- Practice a simple look-back review, a trigger map and a quick HALT check.
- Describe how recognizing early warning signs and planning ahead can lower risk in difficult situations.
HOUR 6
Understanding Craving and the Cycle of Use
- Describe what craving is and how it can show up in thoughts, body sensations and behavior.
- Explain how triggers, craving, short-term relief, consequences and stress can form a repeating cycle.
- Practice the delay, distract and decide skills and the steps of urge surfing.
- Summarize what research does and does not show about craving and mindfulness-based approaches.
HOUR 7
Alcohol: Facts, Risks and Common Myths
- Explain what a standard drink is and why size and strength both matter when counting drinks.
- Describe the main short-term and long-term health risks of alcohol that public health sources report.
- Identify common myths about coffee, driving, warmth, drink order and daily drinking and the facts behind them.
- Recognize that alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and that medical care is important.
HOUR 8
Common Drug Categories: Effects and Risks
- Describe the main effects and risks of cannabis, stimulants, opioids, sedatives, hallucinogens, inhalants and nicotine as reported by public health sources.
- Explain why mixing substances and an unregulated drug supply that may contain fentanyl raise the risk of overdose.
- Identify common signs of an opioid overdose and the steps public health agencies recommend in response.
- Practice talking with a healthcare team and preparing for an emergency in a calm and respectful way.
HOUR 9
Stress, Anxiety, Low Mood and Substance Use
- Describe what a co-occurring disorder is and why mental health conditions and substance use often appear together.
- Explain the self-medication idea and its limits, including how substance use can worsen mood and anxiety over time.
- Identify signs that it may be time to talk with a clinician and practice preparing a simple timeline.
- Recognize where to turn for crisis support and why integrated care for both conditions is recommended.
HOUR 10
The Impact on Relationships and Family
- Describe how substance use can affect trust, communication, roles and children's wellbeing, using research that is mostly descriptive.
- Explain what research says about family involvement in change and where its limits are.
- Identify safety steps and resources for anyone concerned about violence in a relationship.
- Practice self-care, calm conversation and boundary-setting skills that support both the reader and the people around them.
HOUR 11
The Impact on Work, School and Responsibilities
- Describe how research links substance use to attendance, performance, safety and learning, and why those links are associations.
- Explain what employee assistance programs, workplace policies and student assistance programs are and how they can help.
- Identify general facts about workplace rights and why legal questions belong with a qualified professional.
- Practice reaching out early, using a short script and finding the supports that exist at work or school.
HOUR 12
Legal and Health Consequences
- Describe short-term and long-term health effects of excessive drinking that public health agencies report.
- Explain why impairment can begin below the legal limit and why feeling different means driving differently.
- Practice making a ride plan and speaking up when a friend should not drive.
- Identify why legal questions belong with a licensed attorney and how to prepare for those conversations.
HOUR 13
Building Motivation for Change
- Describe motivation as a shifting state and explain why feeling unsure about change is normal.
- Identify the five stages of change and explain why movement between them is often a spiral.
- Practice using importance and confidence rulers, values and a decisional balance to explore your own reasons.
- Explain what research says about motivational approaches and why small first steps are recommended.
HOUR 14
Setting Goals: Reducing Use or Stopping
- Describe the main kinds of goals a person might choose, including stopping, cutting back and harm reduction.
- Explain why stopping some substances suddenly can be dangerous and why medical guidance matters.
- Practice writing a specific, trackable goal with a review date and a plan for obstacles.
- Explain what research on reduced drinking does and does not show.
HOUR 15
Coping Skills to Replace Substance Use
- Explain why replacing what a substance did is as important as removing it.
- Describe coping skills for urges, stress and difficult emotions, including problem solving, relaxation and mindfulness.
- Practice building a personal toolkit that matches the moments that are hardest for you.
- Identify what research suggests about skills-based approaches and the limits of that evidence.
HOUR 16
Refusal Skills and Peer Pressure
- Describe how direct and indirect peer pressure shows up in everyday adult life.
- Practice a layered refusal that moves from a brief, polite no to a firmer reply.
- Plan ahead for a social event, including a backup person, an alcohol-free drink and an exit plan.
- Identify ways to build alcohol-free socializing and supportive company, both in person and online.
HOUR 17
Building a Support System
- Describe the main kinds of support, including family and friends, peer recovery support, mutual-help groups and professional care.
- Explain what a Cochrane review found about Alcoholics Anonymous and Twelve-Step Facilitation, and the limits of that evidence.
- Practice asking a person for specific help using a short, plain script.
- Identify ways to set boundaries that keep support healthy for both the person receiving it and the person giving it.
HOUR 18
Understanding Relapse Without Shame
- Explain why relapse is compared with flare-ups in other long-term health conditions.
- Describe the difference between a lapse and a relapse and the role of the abstinence violation effect.
- Practice steps for responding to a slip, including telling a supporter and reviewing what happened.
- Identify the public health safety message that reduced tolerance after a break in use raises overdose risk.
HOUR 19
Creating a Relapse Prevention Plan
- Identify the main parts of a written relapse prevention plan, from triggers and warning signs to supports and a review schedule.
- Describe what research says about relapse prevention, including its strengths and its limits.
- Practice writing if-then coping statements and a short set of steps to follow after a slip.
- Explain how to share a plan with a trusted person while keeping responsibility for your own choices.
HOUR 20
Healthy Routines: Sleep, Nutrition and Movement
- Describe what public health and professional sources say about sleep, eating, hydration and physical activity for adults.
- Explain why the research linking sleep, nutrition and exercise to substance use is encouraging but limited.
- Practice building a simple daily routine with a few steady anchors and a kind plan for days when it slips.
- Identify when to talk with a doctor before making big changes to eating, sleep medication or exercise.
HOUR 21
Rebuilding Trust with Others
- Explain why trust is rebuilt through consistent actions over time rather than through promises alone.
- Practice accountable statements and listening phrases that avoid both excuses and self-punishment.
- Describe how thoughtful amends, patience and clear boundaries support relationships on both sides.
- Identify what the research says about couples, shame and family approaches, and where its limits lie.
HOUR 22
When and How to Seek Professional Treatment
- Describe the main levels and types of professional care, from screening and brief counseling to outpatient and residential treatment.
- Explain the role of medications and behavioral therapies, and why safety comes first around withdrawal and overdose.
- Identify free resources and cost questions that can help in finding and paying for care.
- Practice questions to ask a provider or program and ways to prepare for a first appointment.
HOUR 23
Resources and Next Steps
- Describe the main kinds of information, crisis, professional, workplace and peer resources available to adults who want to learn about or change substance use.
- Explain what peer support and mutual-help groups offer and what research says about them, including its limits.
- Practice evaluating a website or treatment program using questions from public health sources.
- Create a simple personal resource page so key contacts are easy to reach when needed.
HOUR 24
Your Personal Plan and Moving Forward
- Describe recovery as a process of change with several dimensions, as defined by public health sources.
- Identify your values and use them to shape clear, realistic goals.
- Practice writing if-then plans, a response for setbacks, and a list of supports and review dates.
- Explain why lapses and setbacks are common and how to respond to them with learning rather than shame.