Can the Brain Recover From Addiction?
You might have heard that addiction changes the brain—but can the brain recover after you remove substances? The rate and level at which it recovers depends on the substance you used, the severity of your use, the length of time you were in active addiction, your age, and a number of other factors. However, the […]
Study Measures How Alcohol Use Affects the Adolescent Brain
A study published late last year examined whether heavy drinking at a young age alters the brain.[1] There were 451 participants—all between the ages of 12 and 21 at the beginning of the study—who had brain imaging scans and exam visits over the course of four years. In that time, participants logged when and how […]
Searching for Dopamine During the Pandemic
As I learn about dopamine’s role in addiction, I understand why I and others in recovery might engage in self-destructive behaviors. Recovery gives us a chance to channel self-destructive tendencies in healthy ways; many of us have worked hard on this. But the COVID-19 pandemic can exacerbate these proclivities, even if we are staying away […]
NIH Study Identifying the Impact of Adolescent Substance Use on Brain Development is in the Second Phase
In April 2020, the largest long-term study of brain development ever conducted in the US—the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—was renewed for another seven years. Among other factors that affect development, the study looks at the effect of substance use on the developing brain. The ABCD study […]