Cravings for alcohol or drugs will continue as long as the neurotransmitters are continually stimulated excessively and out of balance.

[48/365] neurotransmitters (Photo credit: ulianne)

The goal in recovering from alcohol addiction, or any addiction for that matter, is to restore balance to the neurotransmitters. The most crucial step in recovering from any addiction is to stop stimulating the reward pathway in the brain with artificial sources that cause it to release excessive levels of neurotransmitters so that the brain can recover and restore natural order. As long as the reward pathway and other neurotransmitters are excessively stimulated, then cravings for drugs and alcohol will occur and relapse is pretty much imminent. When you stop artificially stimulating the reward pathway and allow your neurotransmitters to stabilize, cravings for alcohol and/or drugs simply disappear. When cravings disappear, then staying sober is no longer a struggle.
The second step is to replenish the neurotransmitters with proper diet, nutritional supplementation and healthy activities like exercise, mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercise or other activities that stimulate neurotransmitters in a healthy and balanced manner.

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