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 board-certified addiction medicine doctor
Richard Pavelock, MD
Board-Certified Addiction Medicine Physician
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. Patients get Dr. Pavelock's own cell number — the same one his family uses — and refill requests are handled seven days a week.
- Board-certified in Addiction Medicine — American Board of Preventive Medicine (since 2018)
- Board-certified in Internal Medicine — American Board of Internal Medicine (since 1989)
- DEA Registered — Suboxone Prescriber
- Licensed in North Carolina · New Mexico telemedicine license TM2026-0084
- NPI 1487739579 · verify certification at certificationmatters.org
- In-Network: 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.