When Does Brain Chemistry Normalize After Drug Use?
Many clients in the first few months of sobriety express concern over the absence of emotions (anhedonia). I call it the "BLAHS." Brain recovery takes more time than biomedical recovery (why it's called POST acute withdrawal).
The first step is that your brain must detox which can vary in time depending on the type of drug, length, and severity of use. Neural pathways will begin to regenerate. Some GOOD NEWS for you: dopamine production returns to pre-substance abuse levels in about 90 days. When it does, you are likely to experience heightened emotions and feelings - some describe OVERWHELMING feelings and mood swings. This makes sense if you think about the fact that drugs numb feelings - ALL feelings, and they return with high intensity after years of being shut out. More GOOD NEWS is that this too, will subside in time. The brain has an amazing ability to train itself to function under less than ideal circumstances (plasticity), and it takes time for it to adjust back. Thank your brain for putting up with the abuse and give it a chance to trust you again. One last bit of GOOD NEWS is that most clients report having reached tolerable and even unnoticeable mood issues between 3 and 6 months of clean time.
Comments