Addiction Medicine: Principles and Practice (PDF)

by Paul Haber (Author), Carolyn Day (Editor), Michael Farrell (Editor)

Among Australians use of alcohol and other drugs is almost ubiquitous and results in 13% of total morbidity, but clinicians generally receive limited training in diagnosis and management of substance-use disorders. Written by clinical and academic specialists in their fields, and providing a comprehensive overview of the principles and practice of addiction medicine, this textbook will facilitate such training.

The book’s 36 chapters, by 62 specialist contributors, are organised into 5 sections.

In Section 1, how substance use can be understood and core principles of management of substance-use disorders are outlined.

In Section 2, the clinical and other core skills required for practice are described: clinical assessment, therapeutic relationship, psychological interventions, screening and brief interventions, drug testing and biomarkers of consumption, responsible prescribing, and medico-legal assessment and report-writing.

In Section 3, common clinical issues – intoxication and overdose, withdrawal, comorbidities, and pain management and pharmaceutical opioids – are described.

Section 4, the largest section, is devoted to consideration of specific substances, legal, illegal, and emerging: tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cannabis, stimulants, hallucinogens, benzodiazepines, and volatile substances.
The focus of Section 5 is special populations, adolescents, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, injecting-drug users, and others.

With new clinical syndromes arising from synthesis of new substances, and with new approaches to treatment being developed, addiction medicine is a rapidly-evolving field.

The book is designed to meet the specific needs of a young graduate who is starting a clinical rotation in a drug and alcohol unit. Medical students and junior medical officers will find the book valuable, as will other health professionals who care for people with substance-use problems in drug and alcohol services, nurses, counsellors, and welfare/social workers.

About the Authors:
Paul Haber trained as a gastroenterologist in Sydney before completing doctoral and postdoctoral studies addressing the biology of alcohol metabolism and toxicity. He was appointed to Drug Health Services at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney in 1998 and is an active clinician and researcher. He is a Conjoint Professor in Medicine and Public Health at the University of Sydney.

Carolyn Day is an Associate Professor in the Discipline of Addiction Medicine at the University of Sydney. She is a public health researcher and academic with expertise in illicit drug use and related harms, particularly blood-borne viral infections

Michael Farrell is the Professor and Director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He is a member of the WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. His research covers aspects of public health, evidence-based practice, and translation of research into policy and practice.

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