The plasticity of the brain means it is possible to change the way your brain works for better or for worse. Regular exercise or other good habits can create positive changes, while drug abuse or alcoholism can create negative changes.
If you are struggling with habits or addictions that you want to break, it’s important that you get answers to questions like, “How long to rewire brain from addiction?”
How Addiction Rewires the Brain
Drug and alcohol abuse changes several systems within the brain, rewiring circuitry for things like rewards. Under normal circumstances, your brain provides rewards for healthy behaviors that support your longevity, such as sex, eating healthy meals, and exercising. You get similar rewards for fun things like learning something new or developing a hobby.
However, with prolonged drug abuse or alcohol abuse, these systems get rewired and rewards are no longer produced for the things that matter, instead only getting produced for more drug and alcohol abuse.
As such, the rewiring of the brain is essential for lasting recovery, especially for those who want to break the cycle of addiction. Only by rewiring the brain can you get back to a reward system that functions the way it should.
Stages of Breaking Addiction and Rewiring the Brain
So, how long does it take to break an addiction? This depends entirely on the severity of your addiction. Many people who struggle particularly with drug or alcohol abuse struggle with multiple substances, and that means there might be co-occurring disorders that need to be dealt with at the same time.
How Long Does It Take to Break Addiction?
How long it takes to break your addictions will be a very personal process. If you are struggling with addiction and asking questions like “How long does it take to get addicted to something?” or “How long does it take to break addiction?” then it’s important to understand that all the steps you take to help expedite your recovery can play a role in determining your timeline.
Consider that the timeline for developing an addiction is often much shorter than that required to rewire the brain after.
How long does it take to get addicted to something? That also depends on the substance and individual factors. Some people have genetic markers that predispose them to addiction to specific substances like alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine. Other people have genetic markers that predispose them to addictive behaviors in general.
Moreover, the substance itself can be heavily addictive, like methamphetamines or opioids, creating an addiction within the span of several weeks. Conversely, substances like marijuana or alcohol could take several months or years to develop.
Stage 1: Detox and Physical Withdrawal
The initial timeline, which generally lasts an average of seven to ten days, is your physical detox. Detoxification or detox is what happens when you stop taking a substance to which you are addicted.
Over time, as your body develops an addiction, it develops what is called tolerance. Tolerance is when you no longer respond to the same amount of a substance, so you end up taking more or taking it more frequently to generate the same results.
Each time you use drugs or alcohol, some of it remains in your system because it takes time to fully flush out. Most people with an addiction allow those toxins to compound because the process of flushing those substances is what causes the withdrawal symptoms and can be very uncomfortable, if not dangerous.
The length of time that you have to deal with your physical withdrawal and detox is based on things like:
- What substances you have used
- How often you use
- How much you use
- Your physical health
Cocaine, for example, has mainly psychological withdrawal symptoms like hallucinations, whereas alcohol has mainly physical symptoms. However, alcohol withdrawal can last an average of one week, whereas cocaine presents with severe cravings for up to six months.
Stage 2: Emotional and Mental Recovery
After the physical withdrawal has been dealt with, you’ll have to deal with the emotional and mental aspects of your recovery. This is where a lot of individual and group therapy, as well as support groups and holistic care, play an important role in your timeline for breaking an addiction.
Factors That Influence Recovery and Brain-Rewiring Time
There are several factors that influence answers to questions like, “How long to rewire brain from addiction?”
Substance Type and Severity of Addiction
The substance type and severity of your addiction will heavily influence the recovery time and how long it takes your brain to get rewired.
As mentioned, cocaine comes with severe cravings for several months, and this can extend the timeline for how long it takes your brain to rewire compared to other substances like sleeping pills or opioids.
Individual Factors: Genetics, Age, and Mental Health
Your individual factors, including genetics, age, and co-occurring mental health disorders, will play a role as well.
Someone who is struggling with an underlying mental health disorder like depression, which led to a substance abuse disorder, will need several months to learn how to manage symptoms of depression without turning to drugs or alcohol.
Support Systems and Environment
The more support you have and the safer and more supportive your environment, the shorter your recovery time. If, for example, you are trying to rewire your brain after an addiction, but you are still living with someone who abuses drugs and alcohol, it is more likely that you will relapse before you are able to successfully rewire your brain.
Strategies to Support Brain Rewiring and Recovery
What are the best strategies for supporting long-term recovery with brain rewiring?
- Practicing Mindfulness
- Employing Stress Management
- Regular Exercise
- Good Physical Health
- Sleep Hygiene
- Nutrition for Brain Health During Recovery
- Therapy and Support Groups for Sustainable Change
Don’t overlook the importance of working with professionals or, at the very least, getting support from friends and family.
Challenges and Setbacks in the Brain-Rewiring Process
It is important to understand that over 60% of people will relapse within the first year of addiction treatment. There are holistic measures that can be taken to extend that, such as TMS, stress management techniques, and therapy.
However, relapse is best dealt with immediately. It is an opportunity for growth and continued progress, but it will extend your long-term recovery and rewiring timeline. It is best that you handle setbacks by admitting to the setbacks, working with others to get help, or returning to the strategies that you employ to support your recovery.
Maintaining progress is essential no matter the setbacks you face, but in some cases, those setbacks are severe enough that you might need professional help from residential or outpatient treatment centers.
Conclusion
How long does it take to break addiction? There are several factors that influence your recovery time, like the severity of your addiction and any co-occurring disorders that you might have. Thankfully, there are also several strategies that you can employ to support your brain rewiring.
If you or someone close to you is dealing with addiction or recovery, remember that brain rewiring is possible with the right support and the right time. The damage done by addiction can be reversed if you are willing to utilize the strategies listed above, get help if necessary, and pick yourself up from setbacks and challenges.