The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University is a science-based, multidisciplinary organization focused on transforming society’s understanding of and responses to substance use and the disease of addiction.

Addiction to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs is a complex brain disease driven by genetics, psychological and environmental influences. It most often results from the use of addictive substances in the early years when the brain is still developing. Both addiction and substance use can threaten public health and safety, be socially disruptive and result in enormous costs to society. Although effective strategies exist to prevent and treat addiction — including acute care and chronic disease management — and reduce risky use, they are not widely employed. To date, there is no cure for this disease but scientific advances offer hope that a cure may be found.

Founded in 1992 by Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA remains the only national organization that assembles under one roof all of the professional skills needed to research and develop proven, effective ways to prevent and treat substance abuse and addiction to all substances — alcohol, nicotine as well as illegal, prescription and performance enhancing drugs — in all sectors of society.