The relapse rates for those with an alcohol abuse problem are not promising. In fact, according to this Science Daily release, a minim of 60 percent of individuals treated for an alcohol use disorder will relapse. This relapse will typically occur within the first six months of treatment.
The reward system within the brain is implicated in the development and maintenance of all forms of addictive disorders. As a result, this study out of the University of California set out to compare the thickness, surface area and volume of neocortical components of the brain’s reward system among three different groups: alcohol-dependent individuals remaining sober after treatment, light drinkers and those who had already relapsed.
According to Timothy C. Durazzo, assistant adjunct professor in the department of radiology at the University of California San Francisco, the brain’s reward system is made up of regions and structures in the frontal and temporal lobes and other structures that form the functional network involved in determining if a substance or experience will be pleasurable or aversive in terms of use.
This same system will regulate mood, higher-level cognitive abilities and impulse control. If this system is not healthy or properly maintained, the individual could develop problems with delaying gratification, keeping their emotions out of key decisions and perceiving rewards in small yet healthy daily events.
As a result, brain abnormalities could produce more frequent, intense or even harmful intakes of alcohol or other intoxicating substances. Those individuals with such abnormalities in their brain reward systems had a much higher chance of relapse after treatment.
http://www.addictiontreatmentmagazine.com/addiction-news/reward-systems-relapse/