How Your Brain Heals After Quitting Heroin

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Infographic of brain tree depicting how your brain heals after quitting heroin - mood, cravings, emotions, sleep, hormones

How your brain heals after quitting heroin.

Mood: Heroin damages the brain’s neurotransmitters  — specifically endorphins and dopamine. After quitting heroin, your brain’s level of endorphins and dopamine normalize, which reduces stress and produces a feeling of well-being.

Cravings: As you recover, the powerful urge to use heroin gets weaker, and your ability to resist environmental triggers gets stronger.

Emotions: Quitting heroin frees you to address and resolve feelings of anger, guilt, and depression. Quality of life and psychological health improve, which offers a path to rebuilding self-esteem, relationships, and community ties.

Sleep: Insomnia, fragmented sleep patterns, and sleep anxiety recede as your brain adjusts. Jitters and exhaustion subside as your body begins to heal.

Hormones: You stop experiencing the negative effects of heroin on your sex drive. Hormones such as testosterone and estrogen normalize and help allow for healthier sexual and endocrine function.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, Mountainside can help.
Click here or call (888) 833-4676 to speak with one of our addiction treatment experts.