Originally Posted by
AVRT 
Nothing in that article says the brain will never return to a non-pathological state. It only describes a susceptibility to stress "during an
initial period of alcohol abstinence."
Well, what do you know? People are stressed during the first 90 days after quitting. PhD thesis material right there.
If you want pretty brain PET and fMRI scans, though, there is this article from TIME, although you'll have to read almost to the end where they scan the guy to see if he is "triggered" by a beer, and he isn't. Of course, even if he was "triggered," meaning he really, really, really, wanted it and his brain lit up like a Christmas tree, still does not mean that he has to actually drink said beer.
How We get Addicted It's hilarious (and a bit frightening) how quickly you dismiss cutting-edge medical research for anecdotes and personal experience. Yes,
your experience may be that you were able to quit by making a firm promise to yourself to never drink again, but that does not mean that substance dependence does not permanently alter neurochemistry and neuroanatomy in such a way that increases the probability of relapse.
That said, that doesn't mean that
you in particular will relapse not does it mean that you aren't responsible for maintaining your own sobriety, but it does mean that dismissing the "addict identity" because it creates a stigma and allegedly promotes relapse is overly simplistic and possibly damaging to long-term sobriety.