Addiction medicine

From Drug Rehab Wiki

Addiction medicine is a medical specialty for doctors who treat people addicted to drugs, alcohol, and other substances. Internet addiction, sexual addictions and others that do not involve the use of physical substance are not recognized as part of addiction medicine, with the exception of gambling, which is classified as a pathological illness with qualities similar to substance and alcohol addiction. Chemical addictions are defined as chronic, progressive diseases characterized by impulse-control disorders. Physicians who specialize in the treatment of these conditions are therefore Doctors of Addiction Medicine.

The American Medical Association recognizes addiction medicine as a medical specialty. Doctors who want to practice addiction medicine can become certified by taking a test and meeting other qualifications through the American Board of Addiction Medicine.

Addiction medicine is not yet recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

As of summer 2011, ten medical institutions are offering a one-year residency in addiction medicine and for the first time, these programs will be accredited by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. They are St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, the University of Maryland Medical System, the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the University of Minnesota Medical School, the University of Florida College of Medicine, the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Marworth and Boston University Medical Center.

If Addiction Medicine is established at a minimum of ten more institutions, these programs could be eligible for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Once that accreditation is final, addiction medicine would be another kind of primary residency program that people could enter after medical school.