title: The case for considering quality of life in addiction research and clinical practice.
abstract: Substance use disorders are increasingly viewed as chronic conditions, and addiction treatment services are beginning to adopt models that were developed to address other chronic conditions. These models address the impact of disease and services on the patient's overall well-being. From this perspective, treatment for addiction aims for the broad goal of recovery, which is defined as abstinence plus improved quality of life. However, the addiction field has come late to the chronic disease perspective, and the concept of quality of life in addiction is relatively undeveloped. This article reviews the evidence for the relevance of quality of life in substance use disorder treatment and recovery and discusses the importance of incorporating quality-of-life indices into research and services.
authors: Center for the Study of Addictions and Recovery, National Development and Research Institutes, New York, New York 10010, USA. alexandrelaudet@gmail.com
authors: Alexandre B
authors: AB
authors: Laudet
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D006801:Humans; D034982:Integration Host Factors; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D034982:Integration Host Factors