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When you hear the word “detox,” you most likely link it to the physical side effects your body goes through when you’re taking the first steps on your recovery journey. You focus on nausea, depression, shakes, and more that can happen when flushing a substance from your body. However, can you detox your brain the same way you do your body? If so, what does the process entail?
What Happens to Your Brain During the Initial Substance Abuse?
If you have fallen into a pattern of addiction and substance abuse, you have developed more than a mere physical dependence on your vice of choice — you’ve also altered your brain chemistry. Throughout your experience, your brain has been forced to adapt to this mind-altering chemical you introduced into your bloodstream.
Its presence has changed how your brain functions, changing everything from our pleasure receptors to our chemical responses and associations. As your brain grows accustomed to the substance, it can stop dopamine production until it feels its presence again, creating difficulty in breaking the addiction feedback loop. When you begin to withhold the substance, your brain will respond accordingly by seeing a sharp drop in your natural production of serotonin and dopamine.
Your Brain During a Detox
When you begin the detoxification process, your body and brain need to get fully flushed of the substance to begin your recovery in earnest. Knowing what to expect when you start and what kind of symptoms can help you feel better prepared for what’s coming next. For most addicts trying to detox, there is an array of potential symptoms that range in severity that they’ll encounter. Some of these effects can be perceived as worse than anything they have ever experienced, and taking their drug of choice is a preferable alternative. These symptoms can include feeling:
- Anxious
- Agitated
- Irritable
- Sleeplessness
- Confused
- Restlessness
- Hallucinations
- Depressed
- And More.
What to Expect During a Brain Detox
The goal of a detox revolves around resetting your brain to how it was before your substance abuse. Going through the entire process can help lead you to the critical first step, where your body starts releasing dopamine again without needing the drug in your system. Whether it’s alcohol or drug detox, the process can look different on a case-by-case basis. Your level of addiction can have a significant impact on every aspect of your recovery. Withdrawal symptoms can begin earlier than expected and last longer, depending on the severity and the type of substance. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can last upwards of a week, while opiate withdrawal can have lingering side effects.
Can Lifestyle Changes Help Facilitate Brain Detox?
Many people — not just recovering addicts — can benefit from detoxifying their brains of certain chemicals and toxins that can affect their daily lives. Helping your brain and body receive the care and attention they need to recover from the rigors of everyday life remains an important part of taking better care of ourselves. As people look to get their brain chemistry right, they can make specific lifestyle changes to help put them in the best position to succeed.
Create and Maintain a Routine Sleep Routine
Hustle culture has bred a mindset where people don’t prioritize getting enough sleep or have an underlying condition that causes insomnia. However, getting that recommended eight hours of sleep per night can help your brain recover, improve overall rest, boost energy levels, and naturally detox your brain.
Make Dietary Changes
Consuming certain foods at specific times of the day can throw your sleep
schedule off and ruin the recuperative time your brain needs. Avoiding large
meals, spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol before bed can help you get a
better night’s sleep.
Set Aside Time to Destress
We can all carry a great deal of stress from the day throughout our bodies.
From clenched jaws to cluttered thoughts, raging anxieties can keep us up at
night and cause significant sleep issues. Working a routine before your
bedtime that emphasizes journaling about your stressors, making a to-do list
for the morning, performing calming activities like reading or yoga, and
deep breathing exercises can help your brain recover.
Get the Help You Need for a Brain Detox Today
Whenever you need help with a brain detox, knowing you’re not alone can make a significant difference in your chances of recovery. Seeking the help of an addiction treatment center in Mahanoy City, PA , can help put you in the best position to succeed. That’s where the substance abuse treatment programs at Silver Pines Treatment Center can help. Our mental health treatment services can help develop a personalized treatment plan to help provide you with the necessary support to go through the detox process and improve your long-term recovery prospects. If you or someone you love needs help with substance abuse or alcoholism rehab, please don’t hesitate. Contact Silver Pines Treatment or give us a call at (866)-345-2147 today.
