Dr. Drew W. Edwards, Ed.D, M.S.

Background & Expertise

Dr. Drew Edwards is a nationally recognized addiction neuroscientist with over three decades of clinical experience treating substance use disorders through the lens of brain science. His career has been defined by a single conviction: addiction is a brain disorder, not a character flaw — and effective treatment must start with the brain.

Dr. Edwards holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in behavioral neuroscience and a Master of Science degree. He has worked across the full spectrum of addiction treatment — from acute intervention to long-term recovery coaching — and has trained thousands of clinicians in neuroscience-based approaches to behavioral change.

Clinical Philosophy

Where traditional rehab focuses on compliance, Dr. Edwards focuses on the neurological roots of compulsive behavior. His clinical model integrates an understanding of reward deficiency syndrome, dopamine pathway dysfunction, and the neuroscience of craving with practical, evidence-based coaching strategies that patients can sustain long after they leave the clinic.

As a neurocoach, Dr. Edwards serves as the bridge between medical neurology and daily life. He translates Dr. Orr’s diagnostic findings into behavioral protocols — sleep architecture, stress regulation, cognitive routines, and relapse prevention strategies — that are tailored to each patient’s unique neurological profile.

The Neurogenesis Project

As Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Edwards co-leads the Rescue From Rehab program alongside Dr. Orr. He is the primary neurocoach for patients navigating addiction recovery, working with families to rebuild what addiction has broken — not through willpower, but through brain science.

His writing on the NGP blog explores the neuroscience of addiction, reward deficiency, genetics of substance use, and the emerging science of brain-based recovery — bringing decades of clinical insight to patients and families searching for answers that go beyond the 12-step model.

Areas of Expertise

• Addiction Neuroscience & Brain-Based Recovery
• Reward Deficiency Syndrome
• Neurocoaching & Behavioral Change
• Family Intervention Strategy
• Dopamine Pathway & Craving Neuroscience
• Relapse Prevention & Long-Term Recovery
• GLP-1 & Pharmacological Craving Modulation
• Substance Use Disorder Assessment & Treatment

Selected Publications

Dr. Edwards’s published work centers on the genetics of addiction risk, reward deficiency, and precision approaches to the opioid crisis. A selection of his work is indexed on his ORCID profile (0000-0002-0659-8096).

1. The First Pilot Epigenetic Type Improvement of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in a Polymorphic Dopamine D2 (-DRD2/ANKK (Taq1A)), OPRM1 (A/G), DRD3 (C/T), and MAOA (4R) Compromised Preadolescence Male with Putative PANDAS/CANS: Positive Clinical Outcome with Precision-Guided DNA Testing and Pro-Dopamine Regulation (KB220) and Antibacterial Therapies. Open Journal of Immunology, 2024. doi: 10.4236/oji.2024.143006
2. Solving the Global Opioid Crisis: Incorporating Genetic Addiction Risk Assessment with Personalized Dopaminergic Homeostatic Therapy and Awareness Integration Therapy. Journal of Addiction Psychiatry, 2024. doi: 10.17756/jap.2024-045
3. How to Combat the Global Opioid Crisis. CPQ Neurology and Psychology, 2023. PMID: 36812107
4. Future Newborns with Opioid-Induced Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Could Be Assessed with the Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) Test and Potentially Treated Using Precision Amino-Acid Enkephalinase Inhibition Therapy (KB220) as a Frontline Modality Instead of Potent Opioids. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2022. doi: 10.3390/jpm12122015
5. Addiction by Any Other Name is Still Addiction. Journal of Addiction Science, 2020. doi: 10.17756/jas.2020-043
6. Precision Behavioral Management (PBM): A Novel Genetically Guided Therapy to Combat Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) Relevant to the Opiate Crisis. The Cambridge Handbook of Substance and Behavioral Addictions, 2020. doi: 10.1017/9781108632591.031