Studies about regenerating dopamine receptors in sobriety?
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Join Date: Aug 2015
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Studies about regenerating dopamine receptors in sobriety?
Hi everyone. This is my first post here, and I've been sober for 20 days now. I'm a little ignorant on this issue, but basically I am wondering if people know of scientific studies that support that you will become happier eventually after you quit alcohol. My primitive understanding is that alcohol floods your dopamine receptors and they get used to only firing with this trigger, so when you stop drinking it is harder for you to be happy. This definitely seems to be happening for me. It would be really nice if there was some sort of study that shows that eventually your dopamine will start firing for things other than drinking. This would give me something to look forward to. Thanks.
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Hi and Welcome,
Congratulations on 20 days sober. That's great!
I'm sure you will begin to feel better soon as your body begins to adjust. I just took a quick look on google and there are lots of articles on the subject you mentioned.
Congratulations on 20 days sober. That's great!
I'm sure you will begin to feel better soon as your body begins to adjust. I just took a quick look on google and there are lots of articles on the subject you mentioned.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,445
Welcome butwhatsinaname 
All I can share is my own personal experience - after 20 years hard drinking and nearly 30 years smoking weed, I'm the happiest I've ever been as an adult now. It took a few months - the best part of a year to be honest - but certainly nothing like the years it took to get me there
D
All I can share is my own personal experience - after 20 years hard drinking and nearly 30 years smoking weed, I'm the happiest I've ever been as an adult now. It took a few months - the best part of a year to be honest - but certainly nothing like the years it took to get me there
D
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Earth
Posts: 607
Did read an article about a recent study about the brain regenerating after abstinence. Can't provide a link but Google is a wonderful thing. Not sure about regenerating dopamine receptors but I'm much happier after a few years than I was after a few weeks. Have patience, It'll get better.
Great job on 20 days!
Great job on 20 days!
now's the time
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,181
Mostly I've read a mixed bag of opinions about dopamine receptors... some scientists think that post-withdrawal depression is because that system is regenerating... some scientists think that low receptors could be a precipitating factor in alcoholism.
Overall though it seems like everyone agrees that your brain chemicals in general get into better sync once you quit. You stop producing too much of some, and start producing more of others. It takes a while before it all balances out. When I'm feeling PAWS-y, I try to remind myself that my brain is still recalibrating itself. I can go from euphoric to feeling like I want to cry within the span of a few hours. But I know from past experience that this doesn't last forever.
Overall though it seems like everyone agrees that your brain chemicals in general get into better sync once you quit. You stop producing too much of some, and start producing more of others. It takes a while before it all balances out. When I'm feeling PAWS-y, I try to remind myself that my brain is still recalibrating itself. I can go from euphoric to feeling like I want to cry within the span of a few hours. But I know from past experience that this doesn't last forever.
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Europe
Posts: 291
I have done a lot of reading on this topic, and I must say the studies seem to be often contradictory. It's fascinating reading no doubt, but I found in the end that it didn't really help me - nor did it hinder me - in getting sober. I'm not saying you shouldn't, don't get me wrong, but I found after a while that I can't rationalize myself sober. It even got a bit frustrating, as I do love science, but it seemed to me there were no or very few answers. A bit like statistics never seeming to apply to your specific case.
I don't think the idea is to expect to become totally happy and euphoric. Live still throws a lot of things your way - just like when you are still heavily drinking. But I can say that overall I am happier and calmer, and am able to enjoy things that I had lost all passion for when drinking. Still have bad days or weeks, not in a a craving way, that's long gone thankfully, but in feeling a bit down and numb, but they are not important compared to the fact that, for example, I can enjoy studying music again.
In short: yes, on average, they most probably do regenerate - mostly -, but our wellness (and sobriety...) is more complex than just dopamine levels.
I don't think the idea is to expect to become totally happy and euphoric. Live still throws a lot of things your way - just like when you are still heavily drinking. But I can say that overall I am happier and calmer, and am able to enjoy things that I had lost all passion for when drinking. Still have bad days or weeks, not in a a craving way, that's long gone thankfully, but in feeling a bit down and numb, but they are not important compared to the fact that, for example, I can enjoy studying music again.
In short: yes, on average, they most probably do regenerate - mostly -, but our wellness (and sobriety...) is more complex than just dopamine levels.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
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Cool, thanks for the responses and the encouragement! I have googled this previously but was not able to find a peer reviewed study geared specifically towards regenerating of dopamine receptors post-recovery specifically from alcohol addiction, but yeah there are other studies in the general area! Also sometimes my Googling fails me .
Thanks again. Right now I'm just at the point where I'm like, things aren't getting better anyways, and yeah thing go to **** when I drink, but they are kind of already ****, and at least I will also have the times where I feel better when I drink. I'm also now drinking like 60 ounces of Red Bull a day. It's like I can never really handle just being in a normal, natural state. I wonder if this will will stop my brain from re-balancing properly...ugh
.Thanks again. Right now I'm just at the point where I'm like, things aren't getting better anyways, and yeah thing go to **** when I drink, but they are kind of already ****, and at least I will also have the times where I feel better when I drink. I'm also now drinking like 60 ounces of Red Bull a day. It's like I can never really handle just being in a normal, natural state. I wonder if this will will stop my brain from re-balancing properly...ugh
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Join Date: Aug 2015
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Originally Posted by fantail 
Mostly I've read a mixed bag of opinions about dopamine receptors... some scientists think that post-withdrawal depression is because that system is regenerating... some scientists think that low receptors could be a precipitating factor in alcoholism.
Overall though it seems like everyone agrees that your brain chemicals in general get into better sync once you quit. You stop producing too much of some, and start producing more of others. It takes a while before it all balances out. When I'm feeling PAWS-y, I try to remind myself that my brain is still recalibrating itself. I can go from euphoric to feeling like I want to cry within the span of a few hours. But I know from past experience that this doesn't last forever.
Overall though it seems like everyone agrees that your brain chemicals in general get into better sync once you quit. You stop producing too much of some, and start producing more of others. It takes a while before it all balances out. When I'm feeling PAWS-y, I try to remind myself that my brain is still recalibrating itself. I can go from euphoric to feeling like I want to cry within the span of a few hours. But I know from past experience that this doesn't last forever.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 20
Originally Posted by ChiefBromden
I have done a lot of reading on this topic, and I must say the studies seem to be often contradictory. It's fascinating reading no doubt, but I found in the end that it didn't really help me - nor did it hinder me - in getting sober. I'm not saying you shouldn't, don't get me wrong, but I found after a while that I can't rationalize myself sober. It even got a bit frustrating, as I do love science, but it seemed to me there were no or very few answers. A bit like statistics never seeming to apply to your specific case.
I don't think the idea is to expect to become totally happy and euphoric. Live still throws a lot of things your way - just like when you are still heavily drinking. But I can say that overall I am happier and calmer, and am able to enjoy things that I had lost all passion for when drinking. Still have bad days or weeks, not in a a craving way, that's long gone thankfully, but in feeling a bit down and numb, but they are not important compared to the fact that, for example, I can enjoy studying music again.
In short: yes, on average, they most probably do regenerate - mostly -, but our wellness (and sobriety...) is more complex than just dopamine levels.
I don't think the idea is to expect to become totally happy and euphoric. Live still throws a lot of things your way - just like when you are still heavily drinking. But I can say that overall I am happier and calmer, and am able to enjoy things that I had lost all passion for when drinking. Still have bad days or weeks, not in a a craving way, that's long gone thankfully, but in feeling a bit down and numb, but they are not important compared to the fact that, for example, I can enjoy studying music again.
In short: yes, on average, they most probably do regenerate - mostly -, but our wellness (and sobriety...) is more complex than just dopamine levels.
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Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: California
Posts: 1,428
I believe that some of us drink to self medicate and mask problems, and when we stop the real issue is still there, depression, anxiety disorder, PTSD, stress, whatever. We just forgot this is why we started drinking so much in the first place and blame feeling not happy now on sobriety. That's a fallacy! A visit to the dr. might be in order? And yeah, probably the red bulls aren't helping
If you continue to drink, the feeling good part becomes shorter in duration, feeling like crap parts longer in duration , it's progressive... You need more and more booze to feel a few minutes of euphoria, and its certainly harder to quit the older you get!
If you continue to drink, the feeling good part becomes shorter in duration, feeling like crap parts longer in duration , it's progressive... You need more and more booze to feel a few minutes of euphoria, and its certainly harder to quit the older you get!
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Welcome to the Forum!! 
If the question is can you ever be happy again in Sobriety? the answer is YES, the world does not revolve around alcohol, and neither does the social universe, many people don't drink and live very happy, exciting and fulfilled lives.
It may not seem like it at the moment, and that's to be expected also, as it's gonna take time, it took years of drinking to get me to the point of quitting and so it was going to take me more than a few months for my body to adjust and heal, so be patient!!
Eventually you'll get the spring back in your step, start to look into new interests or old interests that went by the wayside due to drinking, the future will start to look a whole lot brighter.
Hang in there!!
If the question is can you ever be happy again in Sobriety? the answer is YES, the world does not revolve around alcohol, and neither does the social universe, many people don't drink and live very happy, exciting and fulfilled lives.
It may not seem like it at the moment, and that's to be expected also, as it's gonna take time, it took years of drinking to get me to the point of quitting and so it was going to take me more than a few months for my body to adjust and heal, so be patient!!
Eventually you'll get the spring back in your step, start to look into new interests or old interests that went by the wayside due to drinking, the future will start to look a whole lot brighter.
Hang in there!!
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 740
"...It's like I can never really handle just being in a normal, natural state..."
I think this is a big challenge for a lot of us. I'm just now learning how to be in a natural state because I've been either drinking or medicated most of my adult life. Some days being in a natural state is hard, but at this point, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Welcome, Butwhats! Hope you stick around.
Delfin
I think this is a big challenge for a lot of us. I'm just now learning how to be in a natural state because I've been either drinking or medicated most of my adult life. Some days being in a natural state is hard, but at this point, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Welcome, Butwhats! Hope you stick around.
Delfin
Last edited by Delfin; 08-30-2015 at 11:35 AM. Reason: Forgot something
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Europe
Posts: 291
Originally Posted by butwhatsinaname
So I just sit around feeling very uncomfortable.
I also have other mental health issues like depression anxiety that I may need to resolve.
But there as well: it will take time. Three years later I would say my depressive state has improved with about 90%, and my anxiety with 70% (still working on that one).
Time, taking care of yourself, being nice to yourself (yes, that sounds a bit corny, but it does work, we should give ourselves a break...), improving your diet, trying to pick up hobbies or sports you used to enjoy, or finding something completely new, staying sober, rebuilding trust with other people or even helping them... it will all build towards a state where those receptors go "hmmm, not bad at all".
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Originally Posted by butwhatsinaname
This would give me something to look forward to.
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