One of the most difficult challenges any human will ever face is freeing oneself from addiction. Addiction is an extremely powerful force. Fortunately, many thousands of people successfully overcome it each year. Recovery is possible.
However, many people believe that the most difficult aspect of overcoming addiction is defeating one’s physical dependency to the substance to which they are addicted. It’s true that this part of addiction recovery can be painful, overwhelming, and challenging. But, people who begin working on their recovery from addiction find that once they have defeated their physical addiction, there is still much more work to do. Many find that the more difficult piece of addiction recovery is the mental component, which is dependent, in part, on the physical recovery of the brain.
Over time, addiction “rewires” the brain. New neural pathways are formed in the brain while an individual is using, and it takes a long time for the brain to return to its normal function after someone dependent on drugs or alcohol stops using.
Fortunately for all of us, the human body is amazing. Eventually, the brain also recovers from addiction, too, but most people who recover successfully from addiction learn that this part of recovery can often take much longer than they initially imagine.
Read on to learn more about the rewiring of the brain and what people working on their recovery from addiction can expect during this period. Find out how this process works and how long it might take to return to normal brain function after cessation of use of drugs or alcohol.
What Does It Mean to ‘Rewire the Brain’ from Addiction?
To be successful in recovery from addiction, an individual who struggles with dependency on drugs or alcohol must go through the process of rewiring the brain. Our brains are made to change and adapt through a process known as neuroplasticity, and it is this neuroplasticity that not only causes the brain to change during active addiction, but also allows the brain to change back to normal function once active addiction ceases.
When someone becomes dependent on drugs or alcohol, his or her brain changes. The circuits and networks in our brains work together to send signals to the rest of our bodies. Under normal function, our bodies experience pleasure through actions such as eating, having fun, laughing, getting enough rest, achieving things we strive for, sexual activity, and spending time with loved ones. However, when we use drugs or alcohol, our brain begins to believe that pleasure can only be experienced through consuming substances like drugs and alcohol, and all of the above happiness triggers fade into the background.
Over time, these new pathways and inherent beliefs become very strong. People struggling with addiction might even forget entirely about the natural ways to experience pleasure because of their addictions.
Factors That Influence How Long It Takes to Rewire the Brain from Addiction
Numerous factors affect the length of time that it will take to rewire the brain after cessation of drug and alcohol use. The time it takes to rewire the brain differs for everyone. For some, brain rewiring will occur in just a few short weeks or months; for others, this process will take years.
The fact that rewiring the brain after addiction can take a very long time is a very challenging piece of the addiction recovery puzzle. Until the brain has fully recovered from addiction and has rewired itself, individuals in recovery have a high risk of relapse. The affect of addiction on the brain means that the brain will continuously crave the euphoria offered by drugs and alcohol while the brain rewires. It’s not until this rewiring is complete that the individual will finally feel truly free from his or her addictions.
The process of rewiring one’s brain can feel overwhelming, but science and the experience of others have proven time and time again that it is possible. Anyone working on his or her recovery needs to remain patient and stay the course. It may be helpful for people working on their recovery to be aware of the fact that the time it will take to rewire the brain will depend on the type of substance used, the duration of addiction, the individual’s overall health, and the individual’s support system. This process is different for everyone.
Type of Substance
The type of substance to which someone was addicted is one contributing factor to the speed at which neuroplasticity works. Someone addicted to opioids, for example, may find that the physical addiction to the drug was the strongest piece of their addiction, and they may be able to overcome the mental part quickly after they’ve broken free from their physical addiction.
On the other hand, someone addicted to stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamines may struggle more with the mental aspect. Drugs like these, which come with a very clear rewards system component, can cause neural pathways to reroute quickly due to the craving/reward system they create. When someone stops using these types of drugs, the brain rewiring process can be more intense and lengthy than for other substances.
Length of Addiction
Of course, people who have been addicted to any substance for a long time will experience a longer recovery time from that substance. Someone who has only been addicted to a particular drug for a short time will likely find that results of the brain’s neural pathway rewiring is somewhat weak, and so it can therefore be overcome quickly.
People who have been addicted to a particular substance for a longer period, however, will see that the rewiring of the brain has become quite strong over time. These pathways will need much more time and effort to be rerouted in a healthy way. It will take much longer for them to return to their natural state.
Age and Health
Age is another factor that can affect the rewiring of the brain. Individuals who stop using at a younger age will likely find that their brains rewire at a faster rate than older users, simply because neuroplasticity is more malleable in younger people than in older people. This is applicable to people who are healthier as well; people with better overall health will likely experience a shorter rewiring timeline than individuals with existing health problems.
Furthermore, people who participate in physical exercise during their recovery from addiction will also likely find that this type of action can further support neuroplasticity and can help them rewire their brains more quickly.
Support Systems
Even though the rewiring of the brain is a physical process, there are certain external factors that can also aid in the rewiring of one’s brain during addiction recovery. People who have a strong support system during their recovery and who participate in treatment with active, ongoing engagement will likely find that their brains rewire more quickly than people who do not have these things.
This is why it is crucial for people who are working on their recovery from addiction to participate in addiction recovery programs, counseling, and support groups. The combination of these things, working together with the factors listed above, will help individuals to rewire their brains more rapidly and easily.
Timeline: How Long Does It Take to Rewire Brain from Addiction?
How long does it take to rewire your brain from addiction? Again, this process depends on a wide variety of factors, but certain stages are evident in this process in all individuals.
First, individuals must overcome their physical addictions to drugs and alcohol. During this period, the brain will experience a shift in chemical and structural makeup, which will result in both physical and mental withdrawal. As anyone in the early stages of recovery will tell you, this time period can be extremely challenging. However, it’s important for anyone wishing to break free from dependency on drugs or alcohol to know that this pain will end – and that in most cases, it will end quickly. However, during this time period, the brain is not rewiring yet. Instead, it is crying out in pain for the drugs or alcohol that it misses, as the rewired neural pathways starve for the substance for which it has been dependent upon for months or years.
Once an individual overcomes the physical addiction to a drug or alcohol, however, the brain begins to rewire itself immediately. It seems to realize that it will no longer be receiving the substance it craves, and it therefore quickly begin to move to rebuild the pathways that existed before the substance was first introduced into the body. This phase is also challenging, as the body still would rather have that substance, but, over time, and as new pathways are rebuilt and created, the cravings and triggers will begin to fade.
Eventually, these new and repaired pathways will become stronger and stronger. Signs your brain is rewiring will become more and more evident each month, week, and day. In time, the brain will recover from addiction, and both the mental and physical cravings for drugs and alcohol will be a distant memory.
How long does neuroplasticity take to work? Again, this depends on a wide variety of factors, but the brain is an amazing, resilient organ, and it will work if individuals in recovery trust the process and stay the course. The timeline may feel long, but sticking with it through the bad will lead to freedom.
Tools and Therapies That Support Brain-Rewiring
Of course, there are a variety of things that someone in recovery can do to help support this brain-rewiring process. Studies have shown that things like therapy, lifestyle changes, and new habits can be a big help in encouraging the rewiring of the brain.
Again, participating in an addiction recovery program including counseling, support groups, and therapy can make a big difference. Neurocognitive therapies like CBT, EMDR (eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) help teach the brain how to process information in an healthy way. Brain stimulation techniques like TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) can also be helpful for some. All of the above therapies can be provided by addiction recovery professionals.
Further, however, individuals in recovery can greatly benefit from participating in group and individual therapy to work through the challenges they will face in recovery. Support groups can be quite helpful in that they allow people new to recovery the opportunity to talk with individuals further down their own recovery path so they can know what to expect and so they can see that others in similar situations have achieved recovery success.
Other practices can help with brain rewiring, too. Many studies suggest that habits like journaling, mindfulness, and meditation can help support recovery and rebuild neural pathways. Lifestyle changes like exercise, volunteering, eating well, spending time outdoors, and learning new skills can also help stimulate neuroplasticity as well.
Signs the Brain is Rewiring from Addiction
In time, people working on their recovery from addiction will begin to see clear signs that their brain is rewiring. These signs may come slowly at first, or all at once. As the brain heals, cravings for drugs or alcohol will increase. The individual may find that at first, they think of drugs or alcohol almost every second, then every few minutes, then every hour, then every few hours. At some point they will suddenly realize that they don’t think about drugs or alcohol often at all. This is the clearest sign that the brain has managed to rewire itself, and the feeling of freedom that comes with this realization will be incredible when it comes.
Common Setbacks and How to Stay on Track
Can you rewire your brain? The answer to this question, as you can see above, is a resounding yes.
But anyone working on his or her recovery from addiction to drugs or alcohol must accept the fact that this brain rewiring is a process. It will not happen overnight and it will take time. It’s likely that anyone working on his or her recovery will encounter setbacks along the way. Recovering from addiction is no easy task. It will feel overwhelming at times. You may even experience relapses and emotional breakdowns along the way. But if you know the science behind recovery and know that the brain can and does recover over time, you know that addiction recovery is possible.
Stay the course. Don’t give up. Seek professional help. Lean on your support system. Know that recovery does not happen quickly and that it is something that you will be working on for the rest of your life, but know that it can be achieved. You can break free from addiction. You can live a drug and alcohol-free life. Your body, brain, and mind can recover.
Recovery is possible. Freedom is calling you – you just have to answer the call.
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