The use of alcohol, tobacco, pharmaceutical drugs, illicit drugs and other substances are widespread throughout the world and are amongst the leading causes of disability and death. Increasingly, medical approaches of treating these disorders have established themselves as effective interventions and are of great interest to those who seek help. A range of medical disorders are commonly associated with substance use.

Addiction Medicine is a new medical specialty that focuses on the treatment of disorders of substance use and related diseases. It occupies a unique place amongst the medical specialties that connects mental and physical health. The field of addiction medicine is growing heavily as the range of treatments and resulting professional interest in working in this field evolve together. Structured training in the necessary skills in physical and mental health is an essential prerequisite to the establishment of this new medical specialty.

This volume describes training programs established in Europe, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific regions. It has been developed with the support of the International Society of Addiction Medicine and is therefore a significant milestone in the development of addiction medicine internationally and will assist local training programs in incorporating the best ideas worldwide. The work will play an important role in establishing standards of training and consequently of practice, leading in turn to better patient care and health outcomes.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Substance Abuse.