WELCOME MESSAGE
In India, adolescents and young adults are the most vulnerable groups falling in the hands of addiction. It is a well-established fact that Substances like tobacco and alcohol are gateway drugs and most of the adult substance users start tobacco use & alcohol use in their childhood or adolescence. The national survey conducted by NDDTC shows high prevalence of substance use but considering dearth of expertise in the field of addiction, creating awareness and developing expertise in the field is need of the hour. The formation of Society for Addiction Psychology is a robust and initiating step in itself in the direction to sensitize the people and to reduce the overall burden of SUDs in our country. We welcome all professionals working in the field of addiction to join our hands under the aegis of Society for Addiction Psychology to share their experience and expertise and guide the young generation to a better path.
President's Message
Prof. (Dr.) LN Suman
(Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS)
President
Psychoactive substance abuse contributes significantly to the global burden of disease. It adverselyimpacts cognition, volition, emotions and actions of the individual abusing psychoactive substances. It has a deleterious effect not only on the individual but also on the family, community and society. This widespread impact requires not only health and mental health professionals to address the problem but also other professionals working in areas such as law enforcement, criminal justice, academic institutions and workplace settings. Behavioral addictions such as technology addiction also pose a challenge to all stakeholders. The society for Addiction Psychology (SAP) is one of such steps in reducing the substance use across India by providing a platform to practitioners, researchers, academicians and policy makers to come together under its hood and contribute their knowledge, experiences and their expertice. This would translate into tackling psychoactive substance use as a public health problem with equal emphasis on prevention, early intervention as well as treatment. I welcome all of you to to join this novel cause.
General Secretary's Message
Prof. (Dr.) GS Kaloiya
(Clinical Psychology, NDDTC, AIIMS)
General Secretary
Addictive disorders contribute to a significant proportion of the global burden of disease. There is a felt need to disseminate the learning and recent advances in the area of addiction psychology to the various stakeholders. The current understanding and knowledge of addiction psychology need to be made available to the trainee mental health professionals as well as those engaged in clinical care delivery and/or research. Also, there is a need to offer a platform that can be used by the clinicians, academicians, researchers and policy makers to share their views and deliberate upon the controversies, challenges and recent advances in the field of addiction psychology. Society for Addiction Psychology (SAP)is a step in this direction to strengthen the learning as well as enhance capacity for clinical care delivery and research among those working in the area of addictive disorders. This is likely to translate into better care for patients with addictive disorders. I welcome and urge to join this marathon against the menace of substance use in our country and keep passing the torch to future generations.