Addiction Psychiatry

Board-certified addiction psychiatry for substance use and co-occurring conditions — Midtown Manhattan and telepsychiatry in NY, CT, and CA.

At least 65% of Dr. Lazarevic's caseload involves addiction — either as the primary concern or alongside depression, anxiety, trauma, or other psychiatric conditions. This is one of the few outpatient practices in New York with both the clinical volume and the board-level specialization to treat it with genuine depth.

Why Specialized Training Matters

General psychiatrists typically receive minimal addiction training in residency — often a few weeks. Dr. Lazarevic completed an addiction fellowship at NYU and holds board certification in both General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry, a distinction held by fewer than 5% of psychiatrists. This means accurate diagnosis across substance types, evidence-based medication, co-occurring condition management, and clinical fluency in what standard care routinely misses.

Substances and Behavioral Addictions We Treat

Alcohol use disorder — Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram. The Sinclair Method for patients pursuing moderation management. Nutritional support for biological repair. Goals range from complete abstinence to controlled drinking, depending on clinical picture and patient readiness.

Opioid use disorder — Including prescription painkillers, heroin, and fentanyl. Buprenorphine/Suboxone induction and maintenance. Functional nutritional support to anchor early recovery. Psychological work to rebuild internal sources of regulation and meaning.

Stimulant use disorder — Cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription stimulants. Psychiatric management of withdrawal, treatment for co-occurring ADHD, and nutritional support for neurotransmitter repair.

Benzodiazepine dependence — Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan. Medically supervised tapering — abrupt cessation can be life-threatening and requires careful clinical oversight.

Cannabis use disorder — Including cannabis hyperemesis syndrome and management of withdrawal symptoms. Cannabis withdrawal is clinically significant and taken seriously here.

Other substances — Tobacco and nicotine · MDMA · hallucinogens · kratom · prescription medication misuse

Behavioral addictions — Gambling · sex and pornography · internet and gaming · compulsive shopping · exercise addiction. Behavioral addictions activate the same brain reward pathways as substance use and require the same clinical seriousness.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

For alcohol use disorder: naltrexone (daily or via the Sinclair Method), acamprosate, and disulfiram. For opioid use disorder: buprenorphine/Suboxone to reduce cravings, prevent withdrawal, and block euphoria; oral naltrexone for patients who have completed detox. Injectable formulations (Vivitrol, Sublocade) are coordinated with outside providers. For nicotine: varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion.

Medication is not replacing one substance with another. It gives the brain the stability it needs to heal while the psychological and biological work of recovery proceeds.

Harm Reduction, Moderation, and Abstinence

Not every patient arrives ready for abstinence — and treatment does not require it as a starting point. Dr. Lazarevic works across the full spectrum: harm reduction for patients stabilizing while still using; the Sinclair Method where moderation is clinically appropriate; and abstinence-oriented care for those pursuing full recovery, including medication, trauma-focused therapy, and lifestyle support. Goals are adjusted as patients progress. Relapses are part of recovery, not failures — treatment continues, not ends.

Biological Repair

Chronic substance use causes inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, gut dysbiosis, hormonal disruption, and mitochondrial dysfunction that often persist well into recovery. Functional lab work identifies what use has depleted. Targeted protocols — anti-inflammatory nutrition, gut healing, amino acid therapy, and supplementation — rebuild neurotransmitter systems and reduce cravings at a physiological level, not just a behavioral one.

What Makes This Practice Different

Board certification in both disciplines — Dr. Lazarevic holds board certification in General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry, with advanced training in integrative, functional, and regenerative medicine — a combination held by fewer than 5% of psychiatrists.

Time and clinical depth — Assessments begin with a 60-minute initial evaluation. Complex addiction histories often require two to three appointments to evaluate thoroughly before treatment is fully initiated.

Coordinated team care — Psychiatry, psychotherapy, and functional nutrition are available within a single practice and coordinated from the start — not parallel, siloed services.

Still evaluating? These pages may help.

Addiction psychiatry and integrative care → Addiction Psychiatry NYC
How this approach differs from standard care → Integrative vs. Conventional Psychiatry
Physician wellness and monitoring programs → Physician Wellness Program
Have questions? Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes — for patients who remain stable on buprenorphine/Suboxone, long-term maintenance is entirely appropriate. Medication-assisted treatment is the medical management of a chronic condition, not a step everyone must eventually complete. The decision is clinical, not ideological.

  • Relapse is a common part of recovery — not a treatment failure and not a reason to discontinue care. Treatment is adjusted, not ended. The goal is sustained progress, not a singular moment of stopping.

  • For some patients moderation is a realistic and clinically appropriate goal. The Sinclair Method — using naltrexone to reduce the brain's reward response to alcohol over time — is one evidence-based approach that supports moderation without requiring abstinence from the outset.

  • No. Twelve-step programs are useful for many but are not required as part of treatment at Evolution Medicine. We support whatever recovery path is consistent with your goals: SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, secular approaches, or none of the above.

  • Yes. You do not need to have stopped using — or even to have decided to stop — to make an appointment. We meet patients where they are and work collaboratively from there.

  • Yes. Dr. Lazarevic sees patients via telepsychiatry in New York, Connecticut, and California. Patients in other states are welcome to inquire.

If addiction is part of the picture — or the whole picture — this is a practice built for it.

Book Your Consultation

Initial consultations — Psychiatry $750 · Psychotherapy $350 · Nutrition $295

Nutrition & Momentum Care™ Packages available · Self-pay practice · All consultations are confidential.