California Society of Addiction Medicine (CSAM) is the California organization of physicians who specialize in treating

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

. Addiction medicine is the medical specialty that provides care and treatment for people with

substance use disorder Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs (including alcohol) despite substantial harm and adverse consequences as a result of their use. Substance use disorders are characterized by an array of mental/emotional, physical, and ...

. It includes both pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments and aligns with other specialties including

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

and internal medicine. CSAM was founded in 1973, and has been a State Chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine since 1989. CSAM advances the treatment of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and other addictions through education of physicians, physicians-in-training, and other health professionals. Additionally, CSAM promotes research, prevention and implementation of evidence-based treatment. It advocates for legislation and regulations that improve and expand

substance abuse treatment Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent ...

Education and research

CSAM provides a wide range of continuing medical education, including a nationally recognized preparatory course for the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) Certification Exam. CSAM also holds an annual conference on the State of the Art in Addiction Medicine and workshops on issues ranging from

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

and addiction and screening and brief intervention to

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid us ...

treatment and trauma and addiction. The Medical Education and Research Foundation for the treatment of alcoholism and other drug dependencies was established in 1981 as a sister organization to the California Society of Addiction Medicine. The Foundation's mission is to increase and improve the education of physicians about all aspects of addiction, including harmful drinking or drug use, medical sequellae, family impact and how to support recovery. Its primary activities are mentored learning experiences at annual, three-day conferences on addiction medicine offered by CSAM.

Advocacy

CSAM members advocate for greater treatment access and improved treatment at the state level among

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

elected officials and regulators, while partnering with many other medical and nongovernmental organizations. Among the issues that CSAM supports are increasing funding for addiction treatment, raising standards for the substance abuse treatment workforce, improving treatment and prevention for adolescents and young adults and providing better treatment opportunities for health professionals who suffer from the disease of

Resources

CSAM offers a wide range of information on addiction medicine to health professionals, including materials from its educational conferences and programs and a quarterly newsletter.

References

External links

CSAM website

{{DEFAULTSORT:California Society Of Addiction Medicine Drugs in the United States Addiction organizations in the United States Mental health organizations in California