The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah Valley University will host its annual Conference on Addiction this Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Sorenson Student Center on UVU’s main campus.

This single-day conference is meant to address addiction issues in Utah and will include speakers, booths, services and professional information sessions on a variety of topics for students, families, therapists and social workers. Attendees are invited to attend in person or virtually.

“Conferences that focus on causes and treatments for substance use disorders are essential,” Richard J. Nance, an adjunct professor at UVU, said in a press release. “There are specialty academic programs and high-level academic research into effective therapies, which will be available at the conference, that need to be shared with all behavioral health professionals.”

The opening keynote speech will be given by Constance Currey and her daughter Kristina Wandzilak, who co-authored the 2006 book “The Lost Years; Surviving and Mothers and Daughters Worst Nightmare,” which chronicles Wandzilak’s battle with alcohol addiction and Currey’s attempts to save her.

Wandzilak is now the founder and president of Full Circle Intervention and Full Circle sober living communities and outpatient services. She regularly appears as a correspondent specializing in addiction on Good Morning America.

William Stauffer, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance, will offer a speech on the history of the National Recovery Advocacy Movement.

Author Koren Zailckas will offer the closing keynote, addressing underage drinking and the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. Zailckas’s book “Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood,” tells the story of her own tumultuous relationship with alcohol as a teen and young adult.

“In addition to the keynote and plenary speakers, the program will include several concurrent sessions intended to help participants seeking professional information on substance abuse disorders, educational perspectives regarding prevention and treatment, and information for families and loved ones experiencing the challenges of addiction,” reads a press release distributed by UVU.

Tickets for this conference are $75 for the public while UVU students can attend for free. Paid registration includes lunch, parking, and conference materials. Up to 15 continuing education units will also be available for those seeking licensure or re-licensure. For more information on this event or to register, people can visit http://uvu.edu/chss/addiction/.

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