Aside from the drug-seeking behaviors, the individual recovering from active addiction must undergo many other dilemmas associated with the brain’s frontal lobe to restore itself.
The person may engage in many reckless behaviors caused by their increased levels of impulsivity. This is caused by a weakened frontal lobe not being able to rationalize the negative consequences associated with reward-seeking behaviors. An individual must be mindful of the fact that, although they are not currently using drugs, their judgment is still affected by their previous use. The way the person learns and retains information will most likely have tampered within the early stages of recovery.
A person’s ability to focus on their objectives in life becomes weakened due to the lack of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. It is also difficult for the person to retain new information since the prefrontal cortex is what gives a person the ability of short term memory. A person does not come off drugs and feel completely normal at first, Recovery is a progressive process, which requires patience.