The Science of Healing: What Really Happens in Addiction Recovery with Dr. Jeremy MirabelliThe Science of Healing: What Really Happens in Addiction Recovery with Dr. Jeremy Mirabelli
Healing Families Shattered by Addiction
Dr. Brian Jackson and Dr. Jeremy Mirabelli talk through the science behind how the brain and body can heal from addiction. They focus on memory, emotional regulation, and the importance of comprehensive, team-based support for lasting recovery.
21:54•11 Sept 2026
The Science of Healing Addiction with Dr. Jeremy Mirabelli
Episode Overview
- Brain and cognitive functions, especially short-term memory, can improve significantly after substances are removed, often over months to years.
- Effective treatment works best as a comprehensive, multidisciplinary effort involving medical, psychological, and social support.
- Recovery depends on building "homeostatic reserve" through emotional regulation, coping skills, healthy relationships, diet, exercise, and reduced stress.
- Switching addictions or chasing quick "goodies" can block genuine healing; learning to sit with discomfort is a crucial skill.
- Visible, practical changes in behaviour are key signs of real recovery for both the individual and their family.
“"It's an all hands on deck type situation where it's a powerful illness and you need all the best of all of us really to treat it well."”
How do individuals turn their lives around after addiction? This episode of *Healing Families Shattered by Addiction* looks at that question from a scientific angle, as Dr. Brian Jackson sits down with Dr. Jeremy Mirabelli, Medical Director of Recovery Keys and author of *The Homeostatic Reserve and Threshold Model*. You’ll hear them talk frankly about what happens to the brain and body when someone stops using drugs or alcohol. Dr.
Mirabelli answers the question people are terrified to ask: "Have I done permanent brain damage?" His response is cautious but hopeful, pointing to neuroplasticity and the brain’s ability to heal over months and even years. Short-term memory is a big theme, with both clinicians noticing how quickly it often improves once substances are removed. The conversation moves beyond the idea of addiction as just a "brain disease" and zooms out to the whole person. Dr.
Mirabelli describes recovery as an "all hands on deck type situation" involving therapists, physicians, group work, activities, and family support. His homeostatic reserve concept pulls together emotional regulation, coping skills, relationships, physical health, diet, exercise, and stress levels into one big picture of what drains a person’s resilience and what fills it back up. Dr.
Jackson adds relatable examples, from late-night fridge raids to swapping substances for shopping or other "goodies", gently pointing out how easy it is to switch addictions rather than sit with difficult feelings. They talk about the grind of early recovery, the imbalance of lots of meetings and treatment, and the difference between being "willing" and being "able" to change. This episode is aimed at families and people in recovery who want straight-talking science mixed with lived experience and compassion.
It asks a simple but important question: what are you putting in front of the next drink or drug today?
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