Theorists and practitioners are separated by a gap that reflects an unnatural concern with their respective tasks. As a consequence, practitioners lack theories that are grounded in the best of practice, nor do they engage in practice that is guided by the kind of prescriptive theory from which it can benefit from systematic feedback. The reasons for this predicament can be traced to the structural and personal characteristics of the current knowledge generation, knowledge transfer, and knowledge utilization system. It is recommended that practitioners in the addictions rely more on their own resources in order to explicate the systems under which they practice in order to develop theories of practice. This includes the use of systematic observation, hypothesis testing, and evaluating research as major tools in the construction of prescriptive theories of practice in the addictions.