The Role of the Insula

The Role of the Insula: Reconnecting with Your Body in Sobriety

Before I got sober, I spent years feeling disconnected from my body. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had numbed not just my emotions, but my awareness—of hunger, fatigue, anxiety, even joy. Everything existed in a kind of muted fog.

Enter the insula—a small, almond-shaped region deep in the brain. It plays a huge role in what neuroscientists call interoception, which is your brain’s ability to sense what’s happening inside your body. That tightness in your chest? That flutter in your gut? That calm after a deep breath? That’s your insula at work.

In addiction, the insula often gets dulled. Alcohol suppresses signals from the body, and over time, your brain learns to ignore them. This is part of why people in active addiction can override basic needs—staying up for days, skipping meals, drinking through sickness. The signals are there, but the brain isn’t tuned in.

Sobriety flips that script.

When you get sober, the insula begins to reawaken. And that’s both a gift and a challenge. Because with that restored connection comes everything you once ignored: anxiety, restlessness, hunger, tension, sadness—and also, slowly, peace.

At first, this can feel overwhelming. You might think something’s wrong. But what’s really happening is that your brain is starting to listen again.

Here’s how I learned to reconnect with my body and support my insula’s recovery:

• Body scans and breathwork. These practices increase interoceptive awareness and help you regulate emotion. The more you notice and name body sensations, the stronger your insula becomes.

• Slow down before reacting. If I noticed I was irritable, I’d pause and ask: Am I hungry? Tired? Thirsty? Often the answer was yes. Meeting those needs helped me break reactive patterns.

• Track feelings in your body, not just your mind. If a craving showed up, I’d look for where I felt it—tight jaw, jittery hands, fast heartbeat—and stay with the sensation. That shift from thought to body often defused the craving’s power.

• Celebrate physical wins. Sobriety brings better sleep, more energy, clearer skin, deeper breaths. Notice them. Let your brain associate sobriety with feeling good in your body.

The insula helps integrate the physical with the emotional. It teaches you to live in your body, not just your head. And that’s one of the greatest gifts of recovery: presence.

You don’t have to fear the signals coming from within. You just have to learn how to hear them again—and respond with kindness.

Because the more you reconnect with your body, the more you trust it. And the more your brain learns that you’re safe inside yourself.

That’s not just sobriety. That’s embodied healing.