How Inflammation Fuels Addiction and What to Do

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Many patients plateau in recovery, not because of willpower or post-acute withdrawal, but because of untreated neuroinflammation. In this video, Dr. Arwen Podesta explains how brain inflammation fuels cognitive fog, emotional reactivity, and quiet cravings that undermine stability. Learn how microglial activation disrupts executive function, why standard protocols often miss this driver, and how calming the inflammatory response can restore clarity, resilience, and real recovery capacity.

00:00 – Why Post-Acute Withdrawal Isn’t the Full Story
01:18 – Neuroinflammation: The Brain on Fire
02:19 – How Inflammation Primes the Brain for Relapse
03:01 – What’s Happening Inside the Inflamed Brain
04:10 – Cooling the Fire: A New Lens for Treatment
07:53 – Restoring Stability by Treating the Root Cause