# An Immersive Virtual Reality Peer Support Application for Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder: Development and Initial Evaluation

> **NIH NIH R41** · VERY REAL HELP, LLC · 2020 · $206,673

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death in the United States with approximately 72,000 people dying
from drug overdose in 2017. Many of these fatalities occurred in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD),
which is one of the greatest public health issues confronting the United States today. Digital Recovery Support
Services (DRSs) that include peer support, psychoeducation, and other continuing care services, have the
potential to circumvent many of the limitations attendant with agonist medication treatment and traditional
psychosocial interventions for OUD. DRSs are highly accessible and provide continuous access to peer
support to influence recovery outcomes by helping individuals break ties to pro-substance-use peers and
establish ties to pro-recovery-peers. The goal of the proposed project is to explore the feasibility of a new
type of immersive Digital Recovery Support Service that delivers live, synchronous peer-based social
support in virtual reality (VR) for individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. This project will involve two
primary aims: (1) to develop a minimum viable product through initial acceptance and usability testing with 30
OUD patients receiving medication assisted treatment, and (2) to assess the impact of the intervention on
patient mood and perceived social support. This new type of VR application may help individuals at home
during moments of relapse risk, allowing them to “leave” (in their own minds) a potentially challenging or
triggering environment and instead become immersed in a recovery-focused social world. If effective, this
intervention could help to combat the opioid crisis and save the lives of thousands of Americans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10011746
- **Project number:** 1R41DA051294-01
- **Recipient organization:** VERY REAL HELP, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN DENNIS HOLLON
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $206,673
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10011746

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10011746, An Immersive Virtual Reality Peer Support Application for Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder: Development and Initial Evaluation (1R41DA051294-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10011746. Licensed CC0.

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