CAT Addiction Technician Foundational Knowledge 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client discloses they have been drinking heavily for 15 years and wants to stop immediately. As an addiction technician, the MOST important concern is:
- Arranging transportation to a 12-Step meeting
- Assessing the risk of alcohol withdrawal seizures (Correct answer)
- Discussing the client's motivation for change
- Reviewing the client's family history of alcoholism
Correct answer: Assessing the risk of alcohol withdrawal seizures
Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening, including the risk of seizures and delirium tremens, requiring immediate medical evaluation.
Question 2: Which federal law governs the confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records?
- HIPAA
- 42 CFR Part 2 (Correct answer)
- ADA Title II
- EMTALA
Correct answer: 42 CFR Part 2
42 CFR Part 2 provides stricter confidentiality protections specifically for substance use disorder treatment records than general HIPAA regulations.
Question 3: Naltrexone is used in addiction treatment primarily because it:
- Prevents withdrawal symptoms from opioids
- Blocks the euphoric effects of opioids and alcohol (Correct answer)
- Reduces cravings by mimicking opioid effects
- Sedates the central nervous system during detox
Correct answer: Blocks the euphoric effects of opioids and alcohol
Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist that blocks opioid receptors, preventing the reinforcing euphoric effects of opioids and reducing alcohol cravings.
Question 4: In the context of substance use disorders, 'tolerance' is best defined as:
- The ability to resist using a substance despite urges
- The need for increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect (Correct answer)
- Discomfort experienced after stopping substance use
- The period between last use and onset of withdrawal
Correct answer: The need for increasing amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect
Tolerance occurs when the body adapts to a substance, requiring higher doses over time to produce the same pharmacological effect.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'harm reduction' as an approach to addiction?
- Requiring abstinence before treatment can begin
- Reducing the negative consequences of substance use without mandating abstinence (Correct answer)
- Providing punitive consequences to deter drug use
- Using peer pressure to encourage sobriety
Correct answer: Reducing the negative consequences of substance use without mandating abstinence
Harm reduction focuses on minimizing the negative health, social, and economic impacts of substance use without requiring immediate abstinence.
Question 6: Co-occurring disorders refer to the simultaneous presence of:
- Two or more different substance use disorders
- A substance use disorder and at least one mental health disorder (Correct answer)
- A physical illness and a substance use disorder
- Substance use disorder in a client and their family member
Correct answer: A substance use disorder and at least one mental health disorder
Co-occurring disorders (dual diagnosis) describe the presence of both a substance use disorder and one or more mental health disorders in the same individual.
Question 7: When a client exhibits 'denial' about their substance use, the addiction technician should:
- Confront the client forcefully to break through their denial
- Accept that the client is not ready for treatment and discharge them
- Use empathetic, non-confrontational techniques to explore ambivalence (Correct answer)
- Document the denial and defer all discussion to the primary counselor
Correct answer: Use empathetic, non-confrontational techniques to explore ambivalence
Empathetic and motivational approaches are more effective than confrontation in helping clients explore their ambivalence about substance use.
CAT Addiction Technician Foundational Knowledge 3
A client discloses they have been drinking heavily for 15 years and wants to stop immediately.
As an addiction technician, the MOST important concern is: