Ryan Carpenter
Psychology
Assistant Professor
- Alcohol use and abuse
- Opioids and other drug use
- Mobile health interventions (e.g., to help someone decide not to use substances)
- Adolescent and adult substance use (understanding why people use substances and the development of addiction)
- Chronic pain and substance use
- Co-use of alcohol and other drugs together (especially opioids), and how fast people drink alcohol as a predictor of problems
Carpenter in the News
Time
The Truth About ‘Addictive Personalities’
September 28, 2026
But experts say there’s actually no such thing as an addictive personality. “The idea that people can have a specific personality type that makes them prone to addiction has been around for a long time, but it’s not scientifically supported,” says Ryan Carpenter, a substance-use researcher and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame.