By the time the pandemic passes, Covid-19 will have changed many different aspects of our lives, from the way we work to the way we live. Our team at StoneRidge believes that Covid-19 will also change the way we talk about our mental health, for the better. And we want to be part of this positive change.

This article will explore how trauma changes the brain, what those changes mean for our everyday lives, and how proper treatment can help heal the impact of trauma on the brain.

Multiple studies have found a link between excessive alcohol use and damaged brain function, resulting in such conditions as dementia, deficits in learning and memory, mental disorders, and other cognitive damage. Without intervention, the brain can be permanently impaired by chronic alcohol use. With treatment, it’s possible to reverse this damage and heal the brain.

Alcohol and drugs affect the brain’s neurotransmitters and neural pathways. At the same time, the brain strives to maintain balance. As a result, when drugs and alcohol change the brain’s chemistry, the brain adapts. Once the adaptation becomes the norm, the brain will want to “correct” an imbalance when the drug is no longer present by taking the drug again. Over time, substance use disorder changes both the brain’s structure and how it functions.