Alcohol Brain Recovery

Alcohol Brain Recovery Timeline

Alcoholism at any level is a bad new for the brain. It affects the cognitive functions of the brain adversely. Moderate alcohol drinkers experience anxiety, mental fog, and mood changes. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause shrinkage in many parts of your brain. (Alcohol Brain Recovery Timeline)

The good news for alcoholics is that abstinence from alcohol can help to heal the brain. The bad news for alcoholics is that there is no significant alcohol brain recovery timeline after abstinence in several brain functions, including semantic memory, visuospatial skill, sustained focus, multi-tasking ability, planning, and facial expression.

What does the research say?

According to some researchers, quitting alcohol may result in complete recovery to a level like healthy individuals. More recovery after abstinence from alcohol is related to short-term memory, long-term memory, verbal IQ, and verbal fluency. Memory functions restore because of an increase in the mass of the hippocampus (part of the brain that control memory functions).

Another scientific study has shown that prolonged abstinence from alcohol restore the brain structures, including the insula and cingulate cortex. These structures are responsible for decision-making and control drug craving. Still, it is a better thing because no increased cravings were seen in people with the restoration of these structures. Instead, they gained the ability of strong decision-making.

Researchers have claimed that people who abstain from alcohol still experience impaired cognitive functions even after significant recovery of brain volume. These people are unable to perform tasks that require prolonged focus. Some daily activities such as making plans and expressing emotions are also impaired.

Factors that Interfere with Alcohol Brain Recovery Timeline

In a study, the alcoholics showed a reduction in contextual priming factors. Contextual priming factors include those factors that can activate certain attributes in a person, which increase the likelihood of consuming alcohol. This study concluded that it is less likely for a person to resume drinking in the early recovery period from alcohol dependence.

Alcohol Brain Recovery Timeline

Hormonal changes associated with abstinence:

Normalization of Dopamine Levels:

Alcoholism causes a decrease in the levels of dopamine in the brain. In the early period of alcohol abstinence, there is a decrease in dopamine levels that cause unhappiness and hopelessness. But with time, dopamine levels normalize in the brain, and brain receptors also respond well to dopamine, thus regaining the functions. Healthy activities like playing sports and eating chocolate, etc. may help to increase dopamine levels.

Boosting of serotonin levels:

Brain produces another hormone named serotonin. It promotes the feeling of calmness and happiness. Alcohol temporarily boosts the levels of serotonin that make a person feel better, but long-term alcohol consumption may result in a decrease in serotonin production, causing depression.

Alcohol cessation helps to increase and normalize the levels of serotonin. In case you have depressive symptoms after alcohol cessation, you may need medical attention for the treatment of depression.

Take Away Message

Brain has the power to grow and heal itself. An alcohol abuser can regain his brain natural functions by eliminating alcohol from his life and engaging himself in healthy activities like exercise and sports.

References:

Crews F. T. (2008). Alcohol-related neurodegeneration and recovery: mechanisms from animal models. Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 31(4), 377–388.
Recovery of neurocognitive functions following sustained abstinence after substance dependence and implications for treatment. Clinical psychology review, 34(7), 531-550.
Banerjee N. (2014). Neurotransmitters in alcoholism: A review of neurobiological and genetic studies. Indian journal of human genetics, 20(1), 20–31.
Lovinger D. M. (1997). Serotonin’s role in alcohol’s effects on the brain. Alcohol health and research world, 21(2), 114–120.
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