The Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research (VCAR) conducts cutting-edge biomedical and neuroscience research to uncover the neural mechanisms of addiction, particularly focusing on alcohol, opioids, and stimulants. It bridges basic science, translational drug development, and public outreach by collaborating across disciplines and applying new technologies to study how addiction alters motivation and behavior. VCAR also engages community education, policy, and stigma-reduction efforts to help people understand addiction as a brain disorder—not a moral failing.