Virginia Tech researchers give hope to substance use disorder patients with new psychological tools

Loading player for https://video.vt.edu/media/1_juj5djpk...

research 0:59 Virginia Tech researchers give hope to substance use disorder patients with new psychological tools

By:

Clayton Metz

2 Apr 2021 182

Warren Bickel, a professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of the institute’s Addiction Recovery Research Center, helped pioneer the drug treatments used to wean people from substances of addiction. His research also considers substance abuse in terms of costs and benefits. It addresses why people choose options that have the greatest immediate appeal at the greatest long-term cost--a hallmark of addiction. By identifying people who value quick gratification at the expense of the future, health care providers can pinpoint people who will need extra help during the addiction recovery process.