On the need and contents of a specific addiction recovery research agenda [Addiction opinion and debate] (2026)

BACKGROUND: For decades knowledge about the etiology, epidemiology, neurobiology, typology, and treatment of addiction in various populations has been well documented and widely disseminated. In more recent years, there has been a growing interest in investigating the prevalence, multiple pathways, and mechanisms that facilitate sustained remission and long-term stable recovery. Such an endeavor is predicated on the belief that discovery of not just more effective short-term stabilization and addiction treatment protocols, but also how people achieve long-term recovery will help ameliorate current addiction crises. Such experiential knowledge could inspire and inform the testing of new service strategies to meet the dynamic recovery needs of diverse populations-services that could be coordinated with, or supplant, existing ones toward the goals of engaging affected individuals and families earlier and better supporting them across the long-term stages of recovery.
ARGUMENT/ANALYSIS: The "why", "what" and "how", involved in creating and pursuing a recovery research agenda is described, with detailed attention given to twelve significant research dimensions that promise to enhance understanding of the multiple recovery pathways and mechanisms and thereby improve the precision, nature, timing, and scope of services. The article also describes how best to engage with recovery communities cross-culturally to obtain the most accurate, informative, and beneficial results.
CONCLUSIONS: A new science of addiction recovery promises to reinvigorate and vitally inform clinical and public health efforts in ameliorating endemic harms related to addiction. [Author's abstract]