An Evening with Dr. Kevin McCauley - Going to the Edge of Current Neuroscience of Addiction
The last ten years produced an explosion of research in neuroscience and great advances in our understanding of how our brains enable the capacities we equate with being human such as reward, memory, stress, free will. In his lecture, Dr. McCauley brings his audience right to the edge of what is currently known in neuroscience about addiction—research that explains how the brain constructs pleasurable experiences, what happens when this process goes wrong, and why this can have a dramatic impact in our ability to make proper choices. He also explains how this research reveals new and more effective methods to help addicts achieve lasting recovery and resume normal, happy, productive lives as full and valued members of society. Anyone struggling to understand and help a loved one struggling with addiction will find this information invaluable and encouraging.
Dr. Kevin McCauley graduated from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1992. He served in the United States Navy as Flight Surgeon to a Marine helicopter squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Tustin in Orange County, California, and subsequently at a Marine F/A-18 Hornet training squadron at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. Dr. McCauley became interested in the problem of addiction after witnessing the success of the Navys program for treating pilots with alcohol problems. Dr. McCauley now lives in Park City, Utah, and works for the Institute for Addiction Study a non-profit group that promotes greater understanding about addiction and its treatment.
