The Default Mode Network

The Default Mode Network: Why Overthinking Gets Loud in Sobriety

In early sobriety, silence felt deafening. I wasn’t talking. I wasn’t drinking. But my brain? It was loud. Spinning stories. Replaying shame. Worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet. I thought I was doing something wrong—until I learned about the default mode network (DMN).

The DMN is a network of interconnected brain regions that becomes active when we’re not focused on the outside world—when we’re daydreaming, reflecting, or thinking about ourselves. It’s basically your brain’s “idle mode.”

For many people, especially those in recovery, the DMN doesn’t feel restful. It feels overwhelming. That’s because the DMN is heavily involved in rumination—repetitive thinking, often rooted in shame, regret, or fear. In addiction, substances quiet this network. Alcohol numbs the overthinking. Drugs shut down the loop. But when you remove those substances, the DMN kicks back on full force.

This is why overthinking gets louder in early sobriety. Your brain is recalibrating. And the space that substances used to fill is now being reclaimed by your internal dialogue.

But here’s the powerful truth: you don’t have to silence the DMN. You can reshape it.

Studies show that mindfulness meditation, breathwork, and present-moment practices reduce DMN activity and increase connectivity with the task-positive network—the part of the brain that activates when you focus on the present.

Here’s how I learned to manage the DMN:

• Mindful movement. Even 5 minutes of walking with attention to breath or sensation pulls the brain out of rumination.

• Journaling. Writing down spiraling thoughts helps shift them from emotional noise to conscious reflection.

• Focused tasks. Cleaning, organizing, or making something with my hands gave my brain structure and calm.

• Meditation. Even short daily practice reduces DMN overactivity over time.

Your DMN isn’t your enemy—it’s your inner narrator. In addiction, that narrator was reactive and unfiltered. In sobriety, you’re learning to become the editor.

The more you practice grounding in the present, the less power your default mode has to hijack your peace.

You’re not failing when your thoughts get loud. You’re healing. And part of that healing is learning how to quiet the noise—not by force, but with awareness.

Because when the DMN softens, something incredible happens: your attention returns to now. And in the now, your power lives.

Not in what you used to be. Not in what might go wrong. But in the grounded, living truth that you’re here. You’re safe. And you’re free to choose what happens next.