Medicine, delivered with humanity
Virtual Addiction Medicine was founded on a simple belief: people with addiction deserve the same compassion, science, and dignity as anyone with any other chronic illness.
Recovery is a medical outcome — not a moral verdict
For too long, addiction has been treated as a character flaw. The science says otherwise: it's a chronic, treatable brain condition. When we treat it like the medical condition it is, people get better.
We combine FDA-approved medication with genuine human connection. No lectures, no shame, no one-size-fits-all programs — just care built around your goals, delivered privately and conveniently.
- Evidence over ideology. We use what the research proves works.
- Meet you where you are. Abstinence, moderation, or harm reduction — your goals lead.
- Dignity, always. You are a person, not a diagnosis.
Why we exist
"Every day, people who want help can't get it fast enough — because of stigma, distance, or a system that treats them as suspects. We built a clinic that removes those walls."
— Dr. Richard Pavelock, Founder
Get to know your physician
Care from a licensed addiction-medicine doctor
Richard Pavelock, MD
Addiction Medicine · Internal Medicine
Dr. Pavelock is the founder and sole physician at Virtual Addiction Medicine. With training in both internal medicine and addiction medicine, he understands that substance use disorder is a medical condition — not a moral failing. He founded this practice to make evidence-based addiction care accessible to patients across North Carolina, without the stigma of a waiting room or the barriers of geography.
As a physician who treats every patient directly, Dr. Pavelock builds genuine relationships with the people he cares for. There are no handoffs, no rotating providers — just one doctor committed to your recovery.
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Licensed to practice in North Carolina
- DEA-registered to prescribe buprenorphine (Suboxone)
- Accepts NC Medicaid & most major insurance
free
We'd be honored to care for you.
Whether it's your first attempt or your fifth, you're welcome here. Let's take the next step together.