A new study looked at what’s going on in the brains of people who used to be addicted to drugs, specifically methamphetamine, after they’ve been clean for a long time, to see what it can tell us about addiction and sobriety.  Researchers wanted to see if parts of the brain involved in cravings stay active even when they’re not triggered by anything. The research participants had all stayed sober beyond a year.

The research used a brain scan called resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, an MRI that scanned participants’ brains while they were resting, without showing them anything drug-related.

Active drug users often show strong brain responses in areas linked to reward and craving when they see drug-related cues. But there isn’t much research about what happens after someone has stopped using drugs for a long time.

Understanding brain activity during long-term abstinence could help us know more about relapse risk and how to support recovery.

Who Took Part & How the Study Was Done

The study included twenty men who had used methamphetamine. Some were polydrug users, and some used only meth. All of them were male, right-handed, aged 18 and 50, and had been drug-free for at least one year after leaving rehabilitation. None of them had any serious co-occurring mental health disorders, and they all passed basic cognitive tests.

Participants rested with their eyes open, focusing on a cross mark as they were scanned for about ten minutes, and then analyzed the data to see which parts of the brain showed significant activity at rest.

What Does the Study Show?

The results suggest that after a long time being abstinent, the parts of the brain tied to reward and craving might quiet down. That is, the brain may “recover” or change over time, in other words, a process called neuroplasticity that helps rewire the brain in people recovering from strokes and other neurological issues.

At the same time, the brain still showed activity in areas linked with basic attention, processing internal thoughts, or monitoring the environment even when resting. This doesn’t necessarily mean those people were craving drugs at that moment, but it might reflect how their brains reorganize after addiction.

Because the classic craving areas were not significantly active, the study raises the idea that long-term abstinence might reduce the “baseline craving signal” in the brain. For many newly sober people, there is an agonizing amount of thought about using their favorite substance in the first few weeks sober. Part of this is psychological, but it is also physiological. Addiction changes the way the brain works, and it takes longer than a detox period for thoughts, feelings, and urges to use substances to “level out.” Not much research exists on a scientific level when it comes to that process, however.

Cravings and Thinking in Sober Addicts

Do craving-related parts of the brain stay active in former drug addicts when nothing is triggering them? The answer: Not exactly. The part of the brain that was most active was the part that we use when we’re letting our thoughts wander and feel a bit relaxed. They did not find strong activation in the typical reward/craving areas of the brain.

The study, however, only covers a small demographic. It’s a sample size that consisted only of men who had stayed sober over a year and had used meth. It’s important that future studies are more inclusive and also have people who were addicted to other substances involved in the research.

Knowing more about cravings, how they work, and how they can trigger a relapse is important. Studying the brain is just one part of the puzzle; professionals can also study human behaviors and see the patterns. Most addiction treatment is now evidence-based and uses methods that have worked well for a large population of people now in recovery.

Getting Help for Addiction

If you or somebody you love is struggling with substance use, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. You can get help today. Learn more about recovery and how you can reclaim your life through treatment at 1-800-626-4014.