Addictions, Substance Use Category
Live Event

Drug Culture & Recovery Culture in American Society

Fri, Oct 9th, 2026
1:00pm – 4:15pm US Eastern Time
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About the Event

This course explores drug culture and recovery culture within the broader context of American society. Participants will examine how culture, belonging, identity, social roles, and relationships can shape substance use and recovery. The course also offers practical ways for psychology professionals to consider a client’s cultural and social world in assessment and treatment.

Live Event
This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Sophie Nathenson

Sophie Nathenson

Sophie Nathenson is a Medical Sociologist, professor, and consultant based in Portland, Oregon. She is a coach for Ohio State’s Innovation Fellowship, and is the Director of the Master of Healthcare Leadership program at Oregon Tech. Her company, Widespread Wellness Consulting, provides career mentorship and education for individuals and groups working on promoting social, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing.

Target Audience

This live interactive is intended for Addictions and Behavioral Health professionals, including addiction counselors, peer support specialists, art therapists, counselors, music therapists, marriage & family therapists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, school counselors, school psychologists, and social workers. It is appropriate for intermediate levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Explain how societal structures and cultural ideologies shape mental health and substance-use contexts
  2. 2 Describe drug culture and recovery culture as systems of belonging, identity, norms, roles, language and ritual
  3. 3 Analyze how mainstream culture, drug culture and recovery culture interact
  4. 4 Apply culturally humble assessment questions to substance-use and recovery work

Patton, D., & Best, D. (2024). Motivations for change in drug addiction recovery: Turning points as the antidotes to the pains of recovery. Journal of Drug Issues, 54(3), 346-366. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220426221140887

Bunaciu, A., Bliuc, A. M., Best, D., Hennessy, E. A., Belanger, M. J., & Benwell, C. S. (2024). Measuring recovery capital for people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction: A systematic review. Addiction Research & Theory, 32(3), 225-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2023.2245323

Holland, A., Freeman, T. P., Nicholls, J., Burke, C., Howkins, J., Harris, M., ... & Maynard, O. M. (2024). Making sense of drug use and dependence—A scoping review of mass media interventions intended to reduce stigma towards people who use drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 132, 104543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104543

Cappetto, M., & Tadros, E. (2024). Exploring the effects of a materialistic lifestyle on mental health. Applied Family Therapy Journal, 5(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.aftj.5.1.3

Castaneda, J. (2023). The Downfall of Capitalism: Its Exploitation of Mental Health and the Working Class. Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science, 11(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.55917/2324-6561.1107

White, W. L. (1996). Pathways: From the culture of addiction to the culture of recovery: A travel guide for addiction professionals. Hazelden Publishing.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 10:00am US Pacific Time.

1:00–1:15 PM: Culture & Context
1:15–2:00 PM: American Society
2:00–2:30 PM: Drug Culture
2:30–2:45 PM: Break
2:45–3:20 PM: Drug Culture in Practice
3:20–3:50 PM: Recovery Culture
3:50–4:10 PM: Clinical Application
4:10–4:15 PM: Q&A and Closing

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

  • This is a live event, hosted via Zoom Webinar. you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi/internet connection will be required for best quality.

  • We recommend clicking your "Join Webinar" button early and checking that your speakers are on before the event begins. Please do not worry about being seen or heard! Attendee video feeds and mics are turned off by default when entering a webinar. You will be able to ask questions via the Q&A feature. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page .

  • Please respect that no copying, recording, or distribution of live session content is allowed.

We report all course and event completions to CE Broker. If your licensing board uses CE Broker for CE tracking, please be sure to enter your correct license information in your account.

If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

Most live events are recorded and made available to registered participants for a limited time after the event. Check your event materials for specific details about recording availability.

Certificates for live events are typically available within shortly after the event concludes, as soon as attendance verification is completed. You'll receive an email notification when your certificate is ready to download.

If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.

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