Dear Colleagues, On behalf of the local organizing committee of the 10th ISAM Annual Scientific meeting, we welcome you to South Africa, especially to the beautiful city of Cape Town. ISAM annual meetings focus on the diagnosis, management & research in the domain of addiction medicine. This is encapsulated in the theme of the 10th ISAM Annual Scientific meeting, viz., “Understanding Addictions and Providing Comprehensive Care”. The theme is resonant with the need to provide knowledge to those affected by addictions and making care accessible to all who need it. ISAM, in collaboration with national and international organizations, hopes to make the 10th Annual Scientific meeting a memorable experience for you in terms of delivering evidence – based information on how to manage addictive disorders; how to plan community and hospital services and how to promote advocacy for education and skills development in management of substance abuse and other addictions. The 10th ISAM Annual meeting hopes to enrich your appreciation of addictive behaviors and the principles of management of such behaviors in order to assist governments in planning comprehensively to deliver relevant, accessible and well-organized services to deal with addictions. We hope that you will enjoy South African hospitality and revel in the multicultural richness of this country! See you in Cape Town Prof Solly T Rataemane Convenor Department of Psychiatry (Chairperson) University of Limpopo (MEDUNSA)