Use of the Internet for addiction education. Combining network therapy with pharmacotherapy

The authors prepared a course in addiction psychiatry for the Internet that combines a psychosocial and a medication modality for alcoholism; namely, network therapy and naltrexone. Responses of those who accessed the course revealed 679 counts (visits) at the Web Site. A group of 210 unique respondents, of whom 154 were psychiatrists, answered a demographic question set. Over half of these psychiatrists completed the course and evaluated it. The majority indicated that it helped them understand "a good deal" about the management of alcoholism and the use of network therapy and naltrexone. This result suggests the feasibility of using the Internet as a vehicle for teaching in addiction psychiatry, an area where needs for training are often unmet.