California Society of Addiction Medicine - CSAM

California Society of Addiction Medicine - CSAM CSAM is a state chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the Nation's leading addiction medicine professional society.

CSAM is a chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, ASAM is a professional society representing over 4,000 physicians and associated professionals dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment; educating physicians, other medical professionals and the public; supporting research and prevention; and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addictions.

Three FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder, and they're not interchangeable.One reduces heavy drinking days...
08/24/2026

Three FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder, and they're not interchangeable.

One reduces heavy drinking days and can work when the patient isn't aiming for abstinence.

One is renally cleared, which matters with liver disease. One is aversive, not anti-craving, and performs under conditions most patients can't meet. There are also other evidence-supported options used off-label.

Matching the medication to the patient's goal, comorbidities, and adherence pattern is a skill which may not have been emphasized in training.

CSAM membership supports that continued learning through education, clinical resources, and connection with colleagues facing the same treatment decisions.

Join at https://bit.ly/4bSNTQf

The 2026 CSAM Annual Conference brings primary care clinicians together with addiction medicine specialists, behavioral ...
08/21/2026

The 2026 CSAM Annual Conference brings primary care clinicians together with addiction medicine specialists, behavioral health professionals, educators, public health leaders, and others working across substance use disorder care.

Across four days, the program will explore addiction treatment, behavioral health integration, harm reduction, prevention, policy, and evidence based care through keynotes, clinical breakouts, workshops, networking, poster presentations, and awards.

Come for current clinical education and practical tools. Leave connected to peers and mentors who understand the work.

CSAM members receive discounted conference registration. Eligible students and physicians enrolled in addiction medicine fellowship programs can join at no cost, while resident membership is currently $95.

Join us October 21 through 24 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County.
Join CSAM: https://bit.ly/4xdoSrr

Register: https://bit.ly/4bYVJIa

Discounted room block: https://bit.ly/46eyQNn

A referral is only as good as the program receiving your patient.Before referring someone for treatment, there are three...
08/20/2026

A referral is only as good as the program receiving your patient.

Before referring someone for treatment, there are three questions worth asking:
1. Will the program initiate and continue medication, or require the patient to taper? Some programs still make medication discontinuation a condition of admission.
2. What happens if the patient returns to use during the program? Is the response a clinical adjustment or an administrative discharge? The answer reveals whether the program truly treats addiction as a chronic condition.

3. What is the discharge plan, and who will manage the medication afterward? Detox without a connection to ongoing care can increase overdose risk as tolerance declines.
Your referral list is a clinical instrument. Yet many were created years ago and have never been audited to determine whether the programs still provide evidence based care.

CSAM members share the resources, experience, and trusted referrals that hold up in practice.

Join CSAM: https://bit.ly/4wBS8ae

Planning to attend the 2026 CSAM Annual Conference?

Register by September 14 for early bird rates:
https://bit.ly/462YxQQ
Reserve your discounted hotel room by September 28:
https://bit.ly/45ugckl

08/18/2026

If you are taking time away from patients, the education should be useful when you return.

That is how the 2026 CSAM Annual Conference begins. Wednesday offers four hands-on workshops focused on the clinical decisions, conversations, and implementation challenges addiction care professionals are navigating right now.

Wednesday workshops require a separate fee from the Thursday through Saturday conference pass. Attendees can register for one half-day workshop or build a full day by choosing one morning workshop and one afternoon workshop. Full-day workshop registration includes lunch.

MORNING WORKSHOPS
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM PT
Adolescent Addiction Medicine: Evidence-Based Care, Emerging Trends, and Practical Skills
Direct-to-Inject (DTI) Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine: From Evidence to Implementation Across Clinical Settings

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS

1:30 PM to 5:00 PM PT
From MAT Access Barriers to Integrated, Sustainable Solutions: Clinical, Operational, and Lived Experience Perspectives
1:30 PM to 6:00 PM PT
Optimized Motivational Interviewing Across Cultures for Busy Clinicians and Educators

Come ready to ask questions, work through real barriers, and leave with practical strategies you can bring back to your patients, teams, and programs.
Join us October 21 through 24 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County.

Register by September 14 for early bird rates:
https://bit.ly/3Safyp7
Reserve your discounted hotel room by September 28:
https://bit.ly/46ehIqV

Screening is the easy part. The real challenge begins when the result comes back positive.How severe is the alcohol use ...
08/17/2026

Screening is the easy part. The real challenge begins when the result comes back positive.

How severe is the alcohol use disorder? Is the patient working toward abstinence or reduction? Should treatment begin during this visit, or is a referral more appropriate? Which medication fits their goals and medical history? How soon should the next appointment happen to keep them engaged?

Most of these decisions must be made in about ten minutes, often without a clear framework. Meanwhile, 97.5% of patients with alcohol use disorder do not receive medication.

The CSAM Annual Conference offers four days of practical education focused on this kind of clinical decision making, surrounded by physicians navigating the same questions in their own practices.

Join us October 21 through 24 in Orange County.

Register by September 14 for early bird rates:
https://bit.ly/4xHwzWJ

Reserve your discounted hotel room by September 28:
https://bit.ly/4bLDoy3

08/14/2026

A teenager with fentanyl use disorder still has an entire future ahead of them.
Veronika Mesheriakova, MD has seen young people with severe addiction achieve recovery and go on to live full, independent lives. That possibility is why she believes addiction must be identified early and treated with evidence based, compassionate care.

At the 2026 CSAM Annual Conference, Dr. Mesheriakova will bring her expertise in pediatrics, adolescent medicine, and addiction medicine to two sessions:

Workshop: Adolescent Addiction Medicine: Evidence-Based Care, Emerging Trends, and Practical Skills
Wednesday, October 21
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM PT

Plenary: Hot Topics in Adolescent Addiction: Screens, Social Media, and Substances in Youth
Thursday, October 22
9:00 AM to 9:50 AM PT

Join us October 21 through 24 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County and strengthen how you recognize, respond to, and treat substance use in adolescents and young adults.

Register by September 14 for early bird rates:
https://bit.ly/4ckCAQQ
Reserve your discounted hotel room by September 28:
https://bit.ly/3RU4Sed

There is currently no FDA approved pharmacotherapy for stimulant use disorder. That is not a treatment gap clinicians ca...
08/13/2026

There is currently no FDA approved pharmacotherapy for stimulant use disorder. That is not a treatment gap clinicians can prescribe their way around.

Contingency management has the strongest supporting evidence. The VA and DoD clinical practice guideline strongly recommends it, and a 2025 cohort study associated participation with reduced mortality.

Yet it remains one of the least available interventions in the country. Researchers have described this as one of the largest research to practice gaps in addiction medicine. Funding structures, regulations, limited training and persistent stigma around “paying people” all contribute to the problem.

Knowing what the evidence supports and what implementation requires is the difference between improvising and treating.
This topic is on the program at the CSAM Annual Conference, October 21 through 24 in Orange County.

Register by September 14 for early bird rates:
https://www.csam-asam.org/events/2026-annual-conference/register

Reserve your discounted hotel room by September 28:
https://www.hyatt.com/events/en-US/group-booking/ALICA/G-HA26

Of the 27.9 million Americans with alcohol use disorder, roughly 697,000 received medication to treat it. That is just 2...
08/12/2026

Of the 27.9 million Americans with alcohol use disorder, roughly 697,000 received medication to treat it. That is just 2.5%.

This gap is not a reflection of physician indifference. It reflects a curriculum that gave many physicians limited education on substance use disorders before sending them into waiting rooms full of patients who needed that expertise.

So physicians built it the hard way, on their own time, one patient at a time and often without another specialist to consult.

Closing that gap is why CSAM exists. Our physician led education is developed by clinicians who treat patients with substance use disorders every day.

One enrollment includes membership in both CSAM and ASAM.
Join today: https://bit.ly/3U6Iz5x

Join Mason S. Turner, MD, DFASAM, Senior Medical Director of Enterprise Behavioral Health Clinical Program at Intermount...
08/12/2026

Join Mason S. Turner, MD, DFASAM, Senior Medical Director of Enterprise Behavioral Health Clinical Program at Intermountain Health and President-Elect of the California Society of Addiction Medicine, for CSAM's August Lunch & Learn Webinar:

Minority Stress: Understanding Mental Health and Addictions Challenges in the LGBTQ Community

During this virtual session, Dr. Turner will explore how minority stress contributes to mental health and substance use challenges within LGBTQ+ communities while discussing evidence based strategies for creating affirming, inclusive clinical environments.

📅 Thursday, August 13, 2026

🕛 12:00–1:00 PM PDT

💻 Virtual

Register today:
https://bit.ly/4wPIZMd

Adolescent addiction medicine continues to evolve, and so do the challenges clinicians face.From substance use disorders...
08/11/2026

Adolescent addiction medicine continues to evolve, and so do the challenges clinicians face.

From substance use disorders to co-occurring mental health conditions, today's youth require evidence based, developmentally appropriate care grounded in both science and clinical experience.

Join Joanna Shepherd, MD, a board certified pediatrician, adolescent medicine physician, and addiction medicine specialist, for:

Adolescent Addiction Medicine: Evidence Based Care, Emerging Trends, and Practical Skills

This hands on workshop will explore current evidence, emerging trends, and practical approaches you can apply in the care of adolescents and young adults.

Wednesday, October 21
8:30 AM–12:00 PM PT

Join us at the CSAM Annual Conference, October 21–24 in Orange County, California.

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4whzBQx

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1540 River Park Drive
Sacramento, CA
95815

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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