Addictions Research Unit , Institute of Psychiatry

The Addictions Research Unit was set up in 1967 with funding from the Ministry of Health, housing together the Alcoholism team (founded in 1963) and the newly formed Drug research team. The Tobacco research team (originally named Smoking Studies) was added in Jul 1969. In later years further research teams were formed including the Self-help Groups research team, the Natural History team (studying the natural history of narcotic dependence and alcoholism) and the Epidemiological studies of Barbiturate and Poly-drug use. The Addictions Research Unit is part of the Department of Psychiatry within the Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry. It works hand in hand with the Addictions Division (part of the Specialist Services Directorate) of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) to improve understanding of addiction to drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and to develop effective preventative and treatment interventions. Together, they are known as The National Addiction Centre (NAC). Over the last 30 years, the NAC has developed a body of research evidence that has informed the development of new treatment services for alcohol, smoking and drug problems in the UK. This work ranges from trials of new therapies and preventative treatments to studies seeking to understand the genetic and biological basis of addictive behaviour.