Numbers | 4.2.2019

Numbers

• One: Benjamin Rush was arguably as much the parent of addictionology as of American psychiatry, with his publication in 1784 of  Medical Inquiries and Observations upon the Diseases of the Mind. *
• Two: Alcoholics Anonymous began in 1935 with two members. As of 2016, it estimated its membership as over 2 million.
• Thirty-four: In 1949, International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous had 34 members. It counts over 9,900 presently.
• One thousand nine hundred:  1905 Addiction Medicine Physicians (ABPM AdMED certified) are listed on the ABPM website as of today.
• Sixty-two hundred:  Founded in 1954, initially as a regional enterprise, then as AMSAODD**, then as ASAM, the American Society of Addiction Medicine counts 6203 members inclusive of over 5200 physicians.
• Twenty-one million:  The New Haven Register op-ed below uses a figure of 21,000,000 for those needing care for addiction.

This week, ASAM will convene the larger of its two annual Scientific Conferences with the theme of “innovations.” Several thousand will converge on Orlando, Florida, some completely forgiveably in retreat from winter, others for whom one Disneyland was not world enough.  But all will seek to make ours a better field.  …I will join them, and hope that you will introduce yourselves if there.

* Mark S. Gold (2011) Dr. Benjamin Rush and His Views on Alcoholism http://www.health.am/psy/more/dr-benjamin-rush-and-his-views-on-alcoholism/#ixzz5jpY8Y9P1**( AMSAODD: Plan for Certification of Members, Bean-Bayog M, Galanter M, Halikas J, Radliffe A, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1530-0277.1985.tb05568.x )

[Please join the editors in their fervent best wishes for Luke R. Waldron, Marketing Manager on the ASAM Staff, who has leapt into the breech for ASAMW at every turn in the battle, variously serving as publisher and editorial assistant and researcher and motivator.  His career plans will take him away from ASAM after next week; we are very grateful for all that he gave, at all hours.  Aloha pumehana, WFH3.]

  - W. Haning, MD