Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD), Stockholm University,Sweden

The Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD) was established as a national research centre and department within the Faculty of Social Science at Stockholm University in 1997, following a Government Report and with the aim to strengthen social alcohol and drug research. Initially, core funding came from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research and from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for several long‐term projects. Today, SoRAD, with 25 senior and junior researchers, has core funding from the university but most of its funding comes from external national and international grants. Research is organized under three themes: consumption, problems and norms, alcohol and drug policy and societal reactions, treatment and recovery processes. SoRADs scientific approach, multi‐disciplinarity, a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods and international comparisons was established by the centre's first leader, Robin Room. Regular internal seminars are held and young researchers are encouraged to attend scientific meetings and take part in collaborative projects. SoRAD researchers produce government‐funded monthly statistics on alcohol consumption and purchase, and take part in various national government committees, but SoRADs research has no clear political or bureaucratic constraints. One of the future challenges for SoRAD will be the proposed system for university grants allocation, where applied social science will have difficulties competing with basic biomedical research if decisions are based on publication and citation measures.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity

Established in 2006, the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) is Australia's only research centre with a primary focus on alcohol policy. CAPR has four main areas of research: alcohol policy impacts; alcohol policy formation and regulatory processes involved in implementing alcohol policies; patterns and trends in drinking and alcohol problems in the population; and the influence of drinking norms, cultural practices and social contexts, particularly in interaction with alcohol policies. In this paper, we give examples of key publications in each area. During the past decade, the number of staff employed at CAPR has increased steadily and now hovers at approximately 10. CAPR has supported the development of independent researchers who collaborate on a number of international projects, such as the Alcohol's Harm to Others study which is now replicated in approximately 30 countries. CAPR receives core funding from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, and staff have been highly successful in securing additional competitive research funding. In 2016, CAPR moved to a new institutional setting at La Trobe University and celebrated 10 years of operation.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity

The Center for Alcohol Studies of Thailand (CAS) is a newly established research agency in Thailand. With support from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, CAS was established as the national research and knowledge management institute for addressing alcohol‐related harms. CAS possesses some rare qualities. First, it is one of a few alcohol‐specific research centres in low‐ and middle‐income countries, and the only one in the Southeast Asia region. Secondly, CAS both conducts research and grants research funding, allowing it to influence to some extent the direction of Thai alcohol research. Furthermore, CAS researchers engage in all components of the research and policy process. In line with the concept of ‘the Triangle that Moves the Mountain’, CAS interacts closely with partners from all sectors, prioritizes capacity development and frequently operates beyond conventional academic function.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: The Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems. Past, present and future

The aim of this paper is to offer an account of the history, the current status and the future of substance use research at the Swiss Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Problems (SIPA). Although founded originally by the temperance movement in 1901, its policy has shifted over time towards one which accepts an alcohol-consuming culture made up of self-determined but well-informed consumers, while still supporting those who choose to live an abstinent life. In the beginning, SIPA was involved primarily in collecting alcohol-related information and making it available to professionals and the general public. From the late 1960s SIPA began conducting its own research projects; by the mid-1970s it had set up its own in-house research department. In 2001, SIPA was appointed a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Substance Abuse, Research, Prevention and Documentation. As a private non-governmental organization, most of its funding comes from external research commissions. SIPA participates in a variety of international projects [e.g. Gender Alcohol and Culture: An International Study (GenACIS), European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) and Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC)] and contributes to numerous national research projects dealing with substance use. It has also forged close links with more than 50 other research institutions in Switzerland and world-wide. Thanks to its work over the last 30 years, SIPA has become a chief port of call for alcohol use research in Switzerland. In the future, SIPA will continue to monitor substance use, while stepping up its prevention research activities and ensuring that it is able to react more promptly to emerging phenomena.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. The Korean Institute on Alcohol Problems (KIAP)

The aim of this paper is to provide an account of the history, current status and vision of the Korean Institute on Alcohol Problems (KIAP). In the context of increasing alcohol consumption, rising second‐hand effects and industry‐friendly government policy, the Korean College Alcohol Study (KCAS) was established in the Republic of Korea in 1999, and changed its name to the Korean Institute on Alcohol Problems (KIAP) in 2005. KIAP's mission is to decrease alcohol consumption and its related harms by promoting research, advocating policy, developing intervention programmes and preparing media communications. Since 1999, KIAP has published scientific papers and books in alcohol research and used the internet and other media for dissemination of specialized information to the general population. In the last decade, KIAP has trained front‐line alcohol researchers, and advanced domestic and international networks to promote evidence‐based alcohol control policy in Korea. The light of hope shines brightly as KIAP grows and establishes critical linkages to move forward in its mission.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: The Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia,Canada

The Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia (CARBC) was established as a multi‐campus and multi‐disciplinary research centre administered by the University of Victoria (UVic) in late 2003. Its core funding is provided from interest payments on an endowment of CAD$10.55 million. It is supported by a commitment to seven faculty appointments in various departments at UVic. The Centre has two offices, an administration and research office in Victoria and a knowledge exchange unit in Vancouver. The two offices are collaborating on the implementation of CARBC's first 5‐year plan which seeks to build capacity in British Columbia for integrated multi‐disciplinary research and knowledge exchange in the areas substance use, addictions and harm reduction. Present challenges include losses to the endowment caused by the 2008/2009 economic crisis and difficulties negotiating faculty positions with the university administration. Despite these hurdles, to date each year has seen increased capacity for the Centre in terms of affiliated scientists, funding and staffing as well as output in terms of published reports, electronic resources and impacts on policy and practice. Areas of special research interest include: drug testing in the work‐place, epidemiological monitoring, substance use and injury, pricing and taxation policies, privatization of liquor monopolies, polysubstance use, health determinants of indigenous peoples, street‐involved youth and other vulnerable populations at risk of substance use problems. Further information about the Centre and its activities can be found on http://www.carbc.ca .     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. Monitoring the European drug situation: the ongoing challenge for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA)

The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the designated hub for drug-related information in the European Union. The organization's role is to provide the European Union (EU) and its Member States with a factual overview of European drug problems and a common information framework to support the drugs debate. In order to achieve its mission, the EMCDDA coordinates and relies on a network of 30 national monitoring centres, the Reitox National Focal Points. The Centre publishes on a wide range of drug-related topics, across epidemiology, interventions, laws and policies. Every November, the EMCDDA publishes its Annual Report, providing a yearly update on the European drug situation, translated into 23 EU languages. In line with its founding regulation, the EMCDDA has a role acting as an interface between the worlds of science and policy. While not a research centre in the formal sense, the results the Centre generates serve as catalysts for new research questions and help to identify priorities. Current challenges facing the agency include continuing to increase scientific standards while maintaining a strong institutional role, as well as supporting European efforts to identify, share and codify best practice in the drugs field.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. National institute on alcohol and drugs policies, Brazil

The National Institute of Public Policy for Alcohol and Other Drugs (INPAD) is based at the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, and was created to collect scientific evidence regarding epidemiology, develop new therapeutic approaches, study health economics and provide education to subsidize the proper measures to change the Brazilian scenario of alcohol and drug consumption. Policies directed towards the control of alcohol and drugs in Brazil are fragmented, poorly enforced and therefore ineffective. The unregulated market of alcohol in Brazil has contributed to the worsening health of the Brazilian population. Since 1994, INPAD has participated actively in academic debates and discussions about alcohol and drug policies and their effects on the political welfare of the country. Many scientific papers and books have been published on this subject, and the internet and other media have provided excellent opportunities for the dissemination of specialized information to the general population.     

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity: the Department of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland: diverse problems, diverse perspectives

The Department of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction started operations on 1 January 2009, when the National Institute of Public Health (KTL) and the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES) were merged. The newly formed institute, called the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), operates under the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The scope of the research and preventive work conducted in the Department covers alcohol, drugs, tobacco and gambling issues. The two main tasks of the Department are (i) to research, produce and disseminate information on alcohol and drugs, substance use, addictions and their social and health-related effects and (ii) to develop prevention and good practices with a view to counteracting the onset and development of alcohol and drug problems and the damaging effects of smoking and other addictions. The number of staff hovers at approximately 60 people. The Department is organized into three units, one specialized in social sciences (the Alcohol and Drug Research Unit), another in laboratory analytics (the Alcohol and Drug Analytics Unit) and the third primarily in preventive work (the Addiction Prevention Unit). These units incorporate a rich variety and long traditions of both research and preventive work. The mixture of different disciplines creates good opportunities for interdisciplinary research projects and collaboration within the Department. Also, the fact that in the same administrative context there are both researchers and people specialized in preventive work opens up interesting possibilities for combining efforts from these two branches. Nationally, the Department is a key player in all its fields of interest. It engages in a great deal of cooperation both nationally and internationally, and among its strengths are the high-quality, regularly collected long-term data sets.     

Addiction Research Centres and the Nurturing of Creativity. Substance abuse research in a modern health care centre: the case of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is one of the premier centres for research related to substance use and addiction. This research began more than 50 years ago with the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF), an organization that contributed significantly to knowledge about the aetiology, treatment and prevention of substance use, addiction and related harm. After the merger of the ARF with three other institutions in 1998, research on substance use continued, with an additional focus on comorbid substance use and other mental health disorders. In the present paper, we describe the structure of funding and organization and selected current foci of research. We argue for the continuation of this successful model of integrating basic, epidemiological, clinical, health service and prevention research under the roof of a health centre.     

Pharmaceutical HIV prevention technologies in the UK: six domains for social science research

The development of pharmaceutical HIV prevention technologies (PPTs) over the last five years has generated intense interest from a range of stakeholders. There are concerns that these clinical and pharmaceutical interventions are proceeding with insufficient input of the social sciences. Hence key questions around implementation and evaluation remain unexplored whilst biomedical HIV prevention remains insufficiently critiqued or theorised from sociological as well as other social science perspectives. This paper presents the results of an expert symposium held in the UK to explore and build consensus on the role of the social sciences in researching and evaluating PPTs in this context. The symposium brought together UK social scientists from a variety of backgrounds. A position paper was produced and distributed in advance of the symposium and revised in the light this consultation phase. These exchanges and the emerging structure of this paper formed the basis for symposium panel presentations and break-out sessions. Recordings of all sessions were used to further refine the document which was also redrafted in light of ongoing comments from symposium participants. Six domains of enquiry for the social sciences were identified and discussed: self, identity and personal narrative; intimacy, risk and sex; communities, resistance and activism; systems, structures and institutions; economic considerations and analyses; and evaluation and outcomes. These are discussed in depth alongside overarching consensus points for social science research in this area as it moves forward.     

Addiction Research Centres and the Nurturing of Creativity. RAND's Drug Policy Research Center

In September 1989, amid an emotional and ideological debate regarding problematic drug use in the United States and the ‘war on drugs’, RAND's Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC) was created through private foundation funds. The purpose of this new research center was to provide objective empirical analysis on which to base sound drug policy. Twenty years later, RAND's DPRC continues its work, drawing on a broad range of analytical expertise to evaluate, compare and assess the effectiveness of a similarly broad range of drug policies. More than 60 affiliated researchers in the United States and Europe make up the Center, which attempts to provide objective empirical analyses to better inform drug policies within the United States and abroad. This paper provides a look back at the creation, evolution and growth of the Center. It then describes how the Center operates today and how it has maintained its clear identity and focus by drawing on the analytical capabilities of a talented group of researchers from a broad range of academic disciplines.     

Preadolescent Conduct Disorder Behaviors Predict Relapse and Progression of Addiction for Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Abusers

Increased awareness of the heterogeneity among alcohol and drug abusers has led to examination of the influence of concomitant psychopathology on the course of addiction and addictive relapse. Research among adult alcohol and drug abusers has found a detrimental influence of comorbid psychopathology on treatment outcome. Evidence exists for prevalent comorbidity, in particular conduct disorder (CD), among clinical samples of teen alcohol and drug abusers. However, little information is currently available on the relation and influence of psychopathology on outcome after treatment for adolescent alcohol and drug abuse. The current study examines the relation between CD, as assessed by the extent of preadolescent CD behaviors occurring before the initiation of drug use, and outcome for 131 adolescents over 2 years after inpatient treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Drawing on recent conceptualizations of the process of relapse and progression of addictive behavior, CD is hypothesized to influence the process of relapse by altering coping efforts and intentions and increasing exposure to potential relapse situations. Results reveal that the extent of preadolescent CD behaviors is positively related to alcohol involvement in the 2 years after treatment, and that much of this relation is accounted for by posttreatment cognitive coping, motivation for alcohol abstinence, interpersonal problems, and exposure to alcohol use. Contrary to expectations, preadolescent CD behaviors did not predict posttreatment drug use. These findings provide evidence for the influence of psychopathology on the process of relapse and progression of addiction after treatment for adolescent alcohol and drug abuse, and suggest that teens with early life CD behaviors may be at greater risk for continued alcohol abuse.     

Synthesis of qualitative research on drug use in the European Union: report on an EMCDDA project. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

This paper is a synthesis of the information in the report Inventory, Bibliography and Synthesis of Qualitative Research in the European Union which was co-ordinated for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal, by the National Addiction Centre, London, UK. It is based on the work of a network of qualitative researchers from the European Union. The report includes detailed information from each member state on current qualitative projects, relevant publications from the last 10 years and a directory of those researchers active in this area. The paper introduces the project, outlines its future direction and discusses what can be defined as 'qualitative research'. Historical developments and the role of qualitative methodology in relation to research into drug use are examined. A summary of the project's findings is presented, and the relevance of qualitative research for policy-making is discussed. Finally, the methodology used to collect data for the project is described.