Addiction impacts most aspects of life, so it can stunt growth on many levels. When our priority is alcohol or drugs, we tend to have less space to develop as people. In active addiction, we often blunt our emotions, which also blunts emotional clarity and personal growth. Changes in the brain make it difficult to control impulses, a quality often associated with youth.
Addiction in the Brain
Many of us with addictions started drinking or using as teens or young adults, a time when the brain is particularly vulnerable to substance use. Heavy drinking in adolescents has been linked to changes in neurocognition and decreased executive functioning.[1]
While it certainly isn’t the case for everyone in this age group, adolescence and young adulthood is often characterized by a lack of self-awareness and inability to see future consequences. This is also often true of people in active addiction (that isn’t to blame any of us for our substance use disorder—it’s just the way addiction works).
Eventually in active addiction, our brains have become rewired so that we need drugs or alcohol to feel okay. When we’re in that kind of survival mode, we can get stuck. I’ve heard it said that when you get sober, emotionally you’re the age you were when you started drinking or using. This may not be true for everyone, but it’s a concept some people find helpful; it may help minimize beating yourself up for being “behind.”
The brain heals during recovery. In many cases, these changes start happening quickly—but it may take a while for your brain to fully recover. Alongside these physiological changes, you are learning a whole new way of living and being in the world. This is wonderful for your brain too; learning contributes to neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to change throughout the lifetime.
At over seven years sober, my brain is totally different than it was when I was in active addiction. It feels sharper and more focused. Rather than stumble into situations, I actively make decisions and form educated opinions.
Learning to sit in my emotions is ongoing work, but after seven years of doing so without alcohol or drugs, I feel much more self-aware. In active addiction, and even the first few years of sobriety, it can be hard not to feel younger than your peers emotionally. But in my experience, after enough sober time, you can feel caught up.
Getting Outside of Yourself
Recovery also tends to expand your worldview and awareness of other people. It’s not that those of us with substance use disorders are inherently self-centered; active addiction can make us that way by necessity. When we’re sober—especially after we’ve gotten through the hardest beginning parts—we’re able to look past our own experience. This can be a way of growing up, too.
If you’re sober but feel a little behind, that’s okay. Recovery is all about growth, but also about learning acceptance of where you are. You’re growing on your own time.
If you are struggling with addiction or a mental health disorder, there is hope. TruHealing Centers offers high-quality treatment for substance use and mental health disorders in facilities across the country. Our staff—many of whom are in recovery themselves—will help you build emotional sobriety and find peace in recovery. Call an admissions specialist at 410-593-0005.