<p>MYTH: You need to hit &#39;rock bottom&#39; to recover from addiction. But here&#39;s what addiction specialist Dr. Ferghal Armstrong&#39;s guest Tom reveals: his worst moment wasn&#39;t losing everything – it was waking up in a Brazilian favela after cocaine and alcohol, having stolen from his hostel.</p><p><br></p><p>But here&#39;s the brain recovery insight that changes everything: Tom describes addiction as &#39;a connection to your past that doesn&#39;t serve you, instead of connection to your future.&#39; Your brain&#39;s neuroplasticity means you can literally rewire those connections. </p><p><br></p><p>Tom&#39;s recovery started when his future self began speaking to his past self – that&#39;s your prefrontal cortex overriding your limbic reward system. Recovery isn&#39;t about hitting bottom – it&#39;s about choosing your future over your past. <br></p>