Once a opioid addict has stopped using, are the dopamine and serotonin receptors completely fried, or do they heal themselves and begin to release the chemical without the intoxicant
In: Other
I guess I can comment on this because I was a heroin addict ten years ago. If you would have asked me this ten years ago I would have told you no. I was in a constant cycle of addiction. Once the physical addiction was over I thought I was in the clear but I didn’t find joy anything.. Like literally anything. I always wondered what and how non-addicts experienced pleasures in life such as accomplishments, love, sober activities, etc. I just didn’t get any kind of pleasure from that and so I’d stay sober for a month or two and even six months once but I’d always go back because I thought I’d never be able to feel good again and that’s just how my brain was wired because I “fried” my receptors. What changed me eventually was the realization that it can take a year or two for the brain to come back and all the receptors firing the way they should. It took me 2 years to feel like I was getting pleasure from things. What really kicked it in high gear was when I met my first love. So yes. It is possible. At least I believe it is from my personal experience. Present day I do recreationally and I still feel like my receptors are firing because I love sober activities and find people pleasurable.
Latest Answers