We are very pleased to introduce this special issue of the journal focusing on working with addictions. We are grateful to all authors who submitted papers for supporting this special issue and we are enormously proud that the result showcases and celebrates the passion and skill of practitioners working within the sector.

The title of the issue asks everyone to consider whether we are really ready to work in an integrated way, viewing addictions as a target for CBT in their own right, as well as a co-occurring need with which we can work effectively. Whatever service you work in, whether one dedicated to providing CBT for addictions directly, or whether your service focuses on other issues such as mental health problems, it is highly likely that you will come across people with addiction issues. The papers within this special issue will stimulate reflection on your own beliefs around addiction, what you could do in your role to best support the individual, and what help might be most appropriate for them to access. Addiction touches all of us in some way, whether via patients, colleagues, friends, or families – and we encourage all CBT therapists to read these papers and consider their implications.

Much has developed nationally since we started discussing this special issue. For example, in England the transformation of the health and social care system continues, and the Government has announced significant reforms to the NHS as part of their ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan’. All services are now being challenged to consider how they can operationalise the ‘three fundamental shifts in how the NHS functions’ (Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future) outlined in the plan (‘From hospital to community’, ‘From analogue to digital’, and ‘From sickness to prevention’) and this applies to work with addictions as much as to any other sector.

Some of the papers in this issue focus on systems of care and CBT practitioner training. We would encourage readers to consider how these initiatives could promote or support the implementation of the three shifts, as we work together to ensure people get the right care at the right time.

Key principles are drawn from Better Care for People with Co‑occurring Mental Health and Alcohol/Drug Use Conditions (Public Health England, 2017), which emphasises that there should be ‘no wrong door’ for people experiencing problematic gambling or substance use, and that it is ‘everyone’s job’ to meet their needs. The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ report on Co‑occurring Substance Use and Mental health disorders (CoSUM) (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2025) identifies these two principles, along with person‑centred care, as the three core, evidence‑based foundations for effective CoSUM interventions.

The Co‑occurring Mental Health and Substance Use: Delivery Framework (NHS England, 2025) reiterates these principles and highlights the importance of seamless partnerships so that individuals and significant others genuinely experience ‘no wrong door’ across all contact points. Although this guidance focuses specifically on co‑occurring mental health and substance use, the principles extend across the wider addictions field. Meeting the needs of service users and significant others – including those affected by CoSUM – remains everyone’s responsibility.

The clinically focused papers in the issue describe some innovative areas of practice that have had a genuine impact on peoples’ lives and suggest the need for further research and evaluation across our services.

The addictions sector is also embracing the digital shift, and while we did not receive papers on this topic specifically, we encourage authors to consider submitting these in future. Evaluations of online CBT programs for gambling and digital delivery of CBT interventions for people who use substances would be very welcome.

We hope you enjoy reading the issue and that it promotes some debate and celebrations within your teams and services. If you have not seen them already, then we would also encourage you to read the Royal College of Psychiatrists CoSUM report and recently published NHS England Capability Framework for the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Workforce, as well as the framework noted above. We also expect the updated Positive Practice Guide for Working with People Who Use Drugs & Alcohol to be published soon, so there is lots to digest and prompts to consider your organisation or service’s response to the principles and recommendations.