I have asked the same question....and a dear friend here knew what i was taking about....this is her quote...
(07-25-2010 01:02 PM - Angelic17)
Maggie, Yes, it is true. And it takes the brain over a year to go back to normal. The drug is out of your system in a few days. The mental obsession associated with the addiction takes between 1 year and 18 months. It's a very long process. The brain keeps telling the addict to go, even though they don't want to. That's why relapse is so common. Especially with opiates. The addict feels so horrible because the brain takes time to start making its own seratonin and dopamine on its own again.
I hope this all helps....