Matthew Belanger

Matthew Belanger is a Lecturer in Substance Use within the Department of Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology at the University of Stirling. His research focuses on addiction recovery, alcohol use disorder, and behavioral psychology, with emphasis on recovery capital measurement, hormonal influences on substance use, and Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer mechanisms.

Belanger's work combines clinical and sociological perspectives, leveraging smartphone-based experiments and longitudinal studies to assess self-regulation and developmental trajectories of risky alcohol use. He has contributed to systematic reviews on recovery capital and developed novel behavioral tasks for addiction research.

His recent studies explore the impact of hormonal fluctuations (progesterone/estradiol ratios) on alcohol consumption in gender-separated populations, and the effects of the pandemic on alcohol use patterns in Germany. Belanger's interdisciplinary approach bridges neuroscience, endocrinology, and public health policy.