title: The Fifth Thomas James Okey Memorial Lecture: research and practice: the necessary symbiosis.
abstract: What relationship should exist between research and practice in the field of addictive behaviour? Are the perspectives essentially independent, or is there a necessary interaction? The extent of productive interaction is considered in three examples; (i) detoxification, (ii) stable abstinence, and (iii) goals other than abstinence. Changes are occurring in the drugs being used, the extents and types of associated co-morbidity, the levels of public and professional concern, and the explanatory paradigms which are dominant; and so it will be increasingly important for both practitioners and researchers to be sensitive and reactive to these changing circumstances. The most productive state for both research and practice will exist when they both feed off, and feed into each other--when there is indeed a necessary symbiosis.
authors.affiliation: National Addiction Centre, London, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strang
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D009042:Motivation; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011379:Prognosis; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D012008:Recurrence; D012106:Research; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs