You can rest assured that brain fog goes away just like your other withdrawal symptoms. While the time line is different for everyone, you should start to notice differences in your mental acuity as you make your way through the detox process. Most people find that they are thinking much better alcohol brain fog within the first week, and their ability to make decisions and remember information only continues to improve as they make progress in their recovery. Your experience should be similar, and you can always ask the staff at the treatment center if your challenges with thinking are normal.
You might lose your train of thought in the middle of a conversation. It’s usually temporary, but the length of time you’ll experience brain fog can vary. Although we can do significant damage to our brain during years of alcohol abuse, our brain has a remarkable ability to recover. Alcohol and Brain fog is a big deal, especially when it’s interrupting your quality of life post-alcohol. Even after you’ve embarked on the path to sobriety, the effects of alcohol on your brain can linger, manifesting as brain fog.
Brain fog is one of the many consequences caused by excessive alcohol and substance abuse. Following addiction, this common symptom generally co-occurs with several other symptoms in the stage of recovery after acute withdrawal, known as Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). A 2018 study that followed 9,087 participants for 23 years found that people who did not drink alcohol in midlife were more likely to develop dementia. Dementia risk was lowest among those who consumed 14 or fewer units of alcohol per week. Perhaps the most significant psychological effect, however, is addiction. Over time, people who consume large quantities of alcohol develop a tolerance to the drug.
Contact a healthcare provider if brain fog is interfering with your quality of life. They can help you find treatment options to reduce its impact on you. In these cases, how quickly brain fog goes away depends on several factors, such as the severity of alcohol misuse, how long we’ve been drinking, and our overall health status. While brain fog sometimes goes away on its own within a few days or weeks after quitting drinking, it can persist for extended periods for some people, particularly those with severe alcohol misuse.
You know you’re able and willing to complete certain tasks, but you feel like something is holding you back. This can be a tiring and overwhelming feeling, especially if you have a lot of obligations on your plate. Experiencing brain fog following addiction can be a frustrating experience, but hang in there.