addiction as a med specialty

I am only a junior in high school,but I'm very curious about different medical specialties. I know I want to become a doctor,but I'm considering many different specialties. One I'm extremely interested in is addiction psychiatry. What I really want is to be able to council people about their various problems, and also aid in the body's sobriety process. So, I'm wondering how much one on one action with patients you get? How much actual medical "stuff" you do? And what kind of workplace/work you do?
Thanks so much! :)

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

Things can vary so much in medicine, depending on how you set things up.  And in the ten years it will take for you to get out there and practice, things will change even more.

Most medical students change their minds about their specialty interests several times. You come in thinking you like addiction, but then you deliver your first baby... and you know OB is for you.  Or you plan to be a surgeon, but you throw up every time you cut someone open.

Medicine in general is a great field, and always will be-- in spite of the politics that you hear complaining about.  As for addiction, my first love truly was anesthesia-- I enjoyed the career immensely, and it was a huge loss to let it go.  In anesthesia, I 'cured' everyone, and occasionally had a very exciting and exhausting case where I knew I made a difference.  With addiction, the 'saves' are infrequent, and you never know for sure if you are making a difference.  On the other hand, most doctors do not have the patience to deal with addicts-- you must be able to be insulted and lied to, but continue to want to help the person.  If you like people, and like the sciences, medicine is a great field to go into.
Good luck with your studies!

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

Excellent post.......and answer.  It must take a very special type of Doctor and even Person to deal with addicted patients that normally do not volunteer correct histories, give false immediate histories of use.........and normally have malnutrition in the background somewhere - - - - - -   not to even mention that most sddicts that I know could keep several physicians available with just plain semi-normal physical complaints that are real...................