NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow: Curing Addiction a Real Possibility

“I would have never, ever in my whole life have said, ‘we’re going to cure addiction.’ I think we now have knowledge and tools that could potentially, definitely lead us to a cure for addiction.”

—  Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Dr. Volkow shared her attention-getting belief with “Conversations on Health” at Aspen Ideas: Health. Healthcare providers and society at large have spent decades dealing with substance use disorders and the loss of life has been staggering. Dr. Volkow leads NIDA, the world’s largest funder of biomedical research on addiction, and she explains why she’s so confident with her assessment:

The wider availability of naloxone and knowledge about how to quickly use it when needed;

Neuroplasticity as a pathway to recovery; and

Perhaps surprisingly, smartphones and video games are so distracting to some young people that they no longer need to seek other forms of escape.

Join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter as Dr. Volkow also explains the challenges and opportunities for NIDA within the National Institutes of Health. 

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