Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC)

10/30/2026

🎃 Happy Halloween, Hokies! 🦃🧡

Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and spook-tacular Halloween from all of us at the Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC)!

09/28/2026

💙 Remembering Dr. Warren K. Bickel and his lasting impact on behavioral science. 💙

A new article published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, “In Memoriam: Our Time with Warren K. Bickel,” brings together reflections from colleagues, collaborators, and mentees on his remarkable career, mentorship, and contributions to addiction science.

Dr. Bickel joined the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in 2010 and went on to establish both the Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC) and the Center for Health Behaviors Research - CHBR. His innovative work in behavioral economics, decision-making, addiction, and recovery helped shape the field and continues to influence our research today.

We are grateful to see his extraordinary legacy honored by those who knew and worked alongside him.

📖 Read the article:

Click on the article title to read more.

09/21/2026

Celebrating a decade progress in addiction treatment with The Hope Initiative!

The Hope Initiative focuses on addiction as a health crisis instead of a police matter. It helps connect people in active drug addiction to treatment resources nearby.

09/17/2026

A call, a text, an attempt to reach out, that's not a small thing. For some people it could be everything. Connection keeps people alive. September is Su***de Prevention Month. If you are experiencing thoughts of harming yourself call, text, or chat 988lifeline.org for support.

09/17/2026

As September marches on please take a minute to support LEAP as the Harvest Season Fund Drive continues through the end of the month. LEAP helps connect customers with local food six days a week at four different locations across Roanoke. For more information please visit LEAP's website at

LEAP is a nonprofit centered in Roanoke, VA, that supports healthy local food for all. LEAP nurtures our food community.

08/19/2026

Join the Roanoke Valley community for an evening of hope, healing, and remembrance in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day.

The Roanoke Valley Collective Response will host a community gathering to remember lives lost to overdose, support those who have been impacted, challenge stigma, and connect attendees with local prevention, treatment, recovery, and support resources.

📅 Wednesday, August 26, 2026
⏰ 5–7 p.m.
📍 Taubman Museum of Art
110 Salem Avenue, Roanoke

The evening will include a memorial wall, a tribute slideshow honoring loved ones lost to overdose, community resources, and a welcoming space for reflection and hope. Attendees are invited to bring a photo for the memorial wall.

To submit a loved one’s name for the tribute slideshow, email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

All are welcome. Learn more:
https://www.rvcollectiveresponse.org/event/honoringoverdoseawarenessday2026/

05/01/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Megan Evans of the MIND Lab at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation! 👏

Her research on brain activity and neuromotor function in infants at varying risk for neurodevelopmental impairment represents an important step toward earlier identification and intervention.

We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and the impact of her work!

🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Megan Evans of the MIND Lab at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation! 👏

Her work explores brain activity and neuromotor function in infants at varying risk for neuromotor impairment—an important step toward improving early identification and intervention.

We’re proud to celebrate this milestone and the impact of her research!

04/26/2026

🇺🇸 Center for Health Behaviors Research - CHBR and Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC) research is being shared at the national level this week 🇺🇸

Nicki Rohani of the Stein Lab is presenting at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, sharing new research on an AI-assisted tool designed to support future-focused thinking and decision-making.

By helping people vividly imagine meaningful future events, this approach may reduce impulsive choices—an important step in understanding and supporting health behavior change.

Proud to see this work—and this team—bringing innovative research to the field 👏

04/23/2026

🎤 Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC) at SRNT!

Maddy Mason, post-doctoral associate with the Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC) at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, recently shared her research at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Ni****ne and To***co (SRNT).

Maddy delivered an oral presentation on “Modeling the Effects of Integrated Tax Policies on To***co/Ni****ne Product Purchasing in an Experimental To***co Marketplace,” examining how tax policies across ni****ne products may influence purchasing behavior.

She also presented a poster, “Evaluating the Validity and Flexibility of the Experimental To***co Marketplace,” highlighting the Experimental To***co Marketplace as a tool for studying to***co regulatory policy and consumer behavior.

SRNT brings together leading scientists in to***co regulatory science, addiction, and public health from around the world, and we are proud to see ARRC researchers sharing their work on the international stage.

Great work, Maddy! 👏

04/23/2026

Recovery isn’t always all-or-nothing. And it doesn’t have to be.

Nearly 50 million Americans live with substance use disorders, and many use more than one substance. Yet recovery is often measured as complete abstinence from everything — leaving little room to recognize real progress.

New research from Allison Tegge and the Addiction Recovery Research Center (ARRC) at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute proposes a new way to measure recovery: Proportion of Remission.

Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, the measure recognizes progress when someone stops using one substance, even while continuing to work on others. In a study of more than 2,400 people in recovery, greater progress was linked with better physical, psychological, environmental, and emotional quality of life. Article available https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12954-025-01370-1

✨ Every step forward matters.
✨ Every reduction in risk matters.
✨ Recovery can happen one step at a time.

Background and aims History of multiple substance use disorders (SUDs) or polysubstance use is highly prevalent, associated with worse treatment outcomes and higher mortality rates compared to single substance use. Although a few longitudinal studies have measured recovery progress over time, no met...