When asked why the world needs another journal, and why BioMed Central, Dr. Saitz co-Editor-in-Chief said, "The quality of healthcare people get for what are among the most common and costly medical problems in the world — unhealthy alcohol and drug use including addiction — is dismal. We aim to stimulate and publish science that can help improve the situation. And with BioMed Central, we can publish quickly and make the results freely available to researchers and clinicians worldwide." Dr. Samet, co-Editor-in-Chief added "A journal with a focus on two issues, substance use including addiction and improving the quality of care of patients with these problems can provide a rich venue to address the well known quality chasm described by the USA Institute of Medicine and is an international health care challenge." The Editors expand on these themes in their editorial on ‘Science to improve care for people affected by unhealthy alcohol and other drug use’.

Addiction Science & Clinical Practice launches with a number of interesting articles, including an article from Binswanger et al that looks at the risks and protective factors for intentional and unintentional overdose after release from prison. In the words of one ex-prisoner, "…the hardest thing is not going back to the lifestyle that got me put in prison." Choo et al examine the range of patients preferences for tobacco interventions initiated in the emergency department.