The Relapse Paradox: Why Abstinence May Not Be Enough The conventional wisdom in addiction treatment is that abstinence is the best medicine.
However, a growing body of research suggests that this approach may not be as straightforward as it seems. Quitting alcohol may actually prime the brain for relapse.
A recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry found that mice who had been forced into abstinence after a period of voluntary drinking showed increased activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a region of the brain associated with stress and addiction.