The Neuroscience of Addiction Recovery

- Ty “the Neuro Guy” McKinney

When I decided to become a neuroscientist over a decade ago, it was because I was enamored with the complexity of the brain and the possibility that unraveling these mysteries could benefit people’s mental wellness. For example, did you know that hugging someone you care about for at least 20 seconds releases hormones from your brain that help you manage chronic stress and reduce the risk of heart disease? (Source: https://rb.gy/ih3si5). Having seen the tragic impact mental health conditions and addiction could have in myself, in my family, and in my community, I was ever optimistic that the mysterious veil covering our neurons could be lifted. This hugging brain hack is just one example of how this understanding would unlock the secrets to health and wellness. That curiosity drove me to complete my PhD researching technology based psychological assessment and ultimately pursue entrepreneurship to bring the positive impacts of this research to benefit community wellness. Unfortunately, while I learned about the ways to support the brain through healing, it also became apparent that these tools would be needed more than ever before.

Alberta, like much of the world, has been on a trajectory for an addiction and mental health crisis for many years. The COVID-19 pandemic merely accelerated this trend. Now, an estimated 1 in 4 Albertans are struggling with a mental health condition (source: https://rb.gy/hm6m38 ) and every day approximately 4 Albertans die from drug use (source: https://shorturl.at/eizCO ). This grim reality is not without hope, however, as steps are being taken to combat this epidemic. As the pandemic raged on, the stigma around mental health conditions began to lift and be began to have open, authentic, and vulnerable conversations about our brain health. Businesses have begun to realize that poor mental health in their workforce is extremely expensive for their bottom line and that wellness initiatives are not just an expense, but an investment with a 4X ROI (source: https://shorturl.at/cluK3). In the same vein, the Alberta Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction is also investing $306M in 2024 to address this problem (source: https://shorturl.at/cpIK8 ), as each successful addiction recovery brings over $40,000 in indirect economic benefits through reduced health care spending and increased workforce participation (source: https://rb.gy/48m59r, https://rb.gy/09di3a ).

However, simply throwing money at this problem will not undo the complex socioeconomic factors driving this crisis, so a deeper understanding of the problem is needed to ensure these investments by business, government, and community achieve the ROI that Alberta deserves. To that end, the critical metric to guide these investments at the heart of the Alberta Recovery Plan is Recovery Capital.

From a neuroscience perspective, Recovery Capital are the assets in life that help the brain unlock the capacity to overcome addiction. There are different kinds of Recovery Assets, such as nutritious food, housing, restful sleep, a sense of accountability, physical fitness, and a supportive community. As someone acquires Recovery Capital on their wellness journey, their brain increases its capacity for neuroplasticity-the ability of a brain to rewire itself based on experience. Since mental health conditions and addiction are both disorders of the brain, neuroplasticity has emerged as a critical pathway for the treatment of both. People struggling with mental health challenges often have less neuroplasticity (source: https://shorturl.at/bfP24, https://shorturl.at/aFMQZ ). and are at a higher risk for substance abuse (source: https://rb.gy/lwtirb ).

Once someone has enough Recovery Capital, their brain can use neuroplasticity tore-wire the addiction pathways into new habits of health and wellness. This is why it is so critical to support giving Recovery Capital to people struggling with addiction.

Unfortunately, since every brain in unique, there are countless paths to Recovery and matching the right types of Recovery Capital with the right person is extremely complex. When done well, however, it unlocks powerful outcomes. Consider the Terminatory Foundation, who train their “athletes” to complete triathlons, which in turn ignites neuroplasticity in their brain to help them achieve addiction recovery. Maybe triathlon training isn’t for everyone but getting meaningful employment through On a Dime Transformations could give everyone a needed sense of purpose on their recovery journey. UAlberta Indigenous wellness researcher Dr. Darlene Auger views Recovery Capital through the lens of the Medicine Wheel and uses Ceremony to support Indigenous people on their recovery journey. In the same way Indigenous people have a different path to recovery, Stonewall Recovery has developed treatment programs to help 2SLGBTQ+ people address some of their specific Recovery Capital needs. There is a pathway for everyone to get the Recovery Capital they need to overcome addiction and achieve a healthy life.

As part of Design the Shift, 8 Bit Cortex has created a gamified Recovery Capital assessment tool for people to receive personalized resource recommendations. This citizen science initiative will be used to map out the relationship between community-based recovery programs and Recovery Capital, along with how these pathways look different in diverse communities (e.g. Rural, Indigenous, etc.). Scan the QR code below to access this tool. If your addiction recovery program is looking to level up its impact data strategy, inquire with Dr. Ty McKinney to be included as a collaborator.