Addiction: The Supplementary Series

Justin and Amanda, a young couple addicted to opiates for several years, have entered a treatment facility at Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Maine. This programme follows their progress and presents expert commentary from Acadia administrator Scott Farnum.

Director of Treatment and Recovery Research at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Dr Mark Willenbring discusses the different factors that can lead to alcoholism, including genetics and psychiatric disorders.

Dr Kathleen Brady is a professor of psychiatry and an expert in addiction and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Here she discusses how underlying disorders like anxiety, depression or trauma can lead to addiction or relapse.

The story of one mother's attempt to rescue her daughter from her heroin addiction - a more complete telling of the story introduced in the centerpiece show, Addiction.

The adolescent brain is not fully developed, making a young person extremely vulnerable to drug and alcohol addiction. Co-occurring disorders such as anxiety or depression are typically present with adolescent addicts.

In an informal therapy group, Dr Nora Volkow, Director of NIDA, discusses addiction as a brain disease with addicts and family members. She notes the environmental, behavioural and genetic factors that can make an individual vulnerable to addiction.