Can Exercise Help You Beat An Addiction Problem: What Do Experts Say?

Can Exercise Help You Beat An Addiction Problem

Most addiction therapies include some form of “talk therapy” or counseling. This frequently focuses on assisting the addict in determining why they continue to participate in addictive behaviors despite the adverse effects.

Therapy also aids in the development of more efficient coping mechanisms for the emotions that fuel addictive behaviors.

While these treatment approaches are beneficial to many people with addictions, some believe they require treatment that focuses on the physical aspects of addiction rather than the mental or emotional parts.

Others find that exercise helps them manage urges as a supplement to talk therapy.

Hence, if a drug rehab center includes exercise as a part of the recovery process, it helps their patients more. You can always check the addiction treatment procedures at Ocean Recovery before you admit your patient there.

How Can Exercise Help Beat An Addiction Problem?

Exercise has long been acknowledged as a self-help technique for persons recovering from addictions. However, it is only recently that it has been recognized as a treatment for addiction in and of itself.

Let’s find out the benefits of exercise in battling addiction problems here:

Increased Energy

When you run, swim, or ride a bike, you will expend a lot of energy, but you will also gain a lot of energy in return. Regular exercise is one method to put some spring back in your step if your addiction recovery has left you feeling tired and lethargic at times.

Stress Reduction

Stress is a common concern in addiction treatment, and if it isn’t controlled appropriately, it can lead to relapse. Exercising is one of the methods for reducing and managing stress. Physical activity increases circulation and generates feel-good endorphins in the brain, both of which aid with stress.

Strong Immunity

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health, regular exercise can help protect your body from severe illnesses like cancer, stroke, heart disease, depression, diabetes, and osteoporosis. In addition, when your immunity strengthens, you face a lesser risk of withdrawal symptoms.

Improved Sleep

It’s not uncommon for people in addiction recovery to have sleep issues. In reality, many people start drinking or using drugs because they believe it will help them get their needs. However, regular exercise can help you sleep better, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Improved Mood

Addiction rehabilitation is linked to mood changes. You may assist your body to adjust to its new circumstances by teaching it to naturally make the feel-good chemicals that were previously sought artificially in drugs. For example, it causes the brain to release endorphins, which generate sensations of happiness and well-being.

Relapse Prevention

According to several studies, regular exercise can boost abstinence rates for substance abuse by up to 95%. These studies also discovered that exercise could aid in the management of stress, depression, and anxiety, all of which can lead to substance relapse.

How Can Exercise Help Dealing With Withdrawal Symptoms?

People face painful withdrawal symptoms when an addictive substance or addictive behavior is stopped. Depending on the individual and what they are withdrawing from, withdrawal symptoms vary in strength and which symptoms are experienced.

All withdrawal symptoms include a desire for more of the substance or behavior and a sense of relief from withdrawal when more of the substance or behavior is used.

Depressive or despair feelings, anxiety or lethargy, irritability or rage, digestive issues, and nervous system symptoms like sweating, dry or watery mouth, headaches, and muscle tension are all prevalent. Withdrawal symptoms change depending on the substance.

Exercise has been shown to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression on several occasions. In addition, experts are increasingly indicating that exercise helps relieve withdrawal symptoms because these are substantial withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine withdrawal is one type of withdrawal that has been proven to be alleviated by exercise. Compared to non-exercising people quitting smoking, smokers engaging in rounds of exercise experience fewer cravings for tobacco, fewer withdrawal symptoms, and less agitation.

How Can Exercise Help In Relapse Prevention?

The fact that frequent movement can assist avoid relapse to alcohol or drug use is perhaps the most compelling reason to exercise regularly in addiction rehabilitation.

Thus, exercise can be enough to lessen drug cravings and improve treatment outcomes when used to minimize the relapse risk.

When people recovering from an alcohol use problem are allowed to exercise after completing the withdrawal phase of detox, they have fewer urges to drink.

In addition, those recovering from cannabis use disorder who exercise for more extended periods have fewer marijuana cravings. Exercise has also been studied in conjunction with other treatments and is beneficial when combined with other therapy.

When paired with exercise-related activities, contingency management, which is a reward-based approach rather than a therapy, may be more effective. In addition, some HIIT workouts that are mostly known for losing weight can also be effective in addiction treatments.

Limits Of Exercise

Exercise appears to offer a lot of untapped promise as an adjunct to addiction treatment. Its positive effects on mood and withdrawal symptoms make it a good fit for helping people in recovery from addictions feel better, be healthier, and avoid relapse. It may even help repair some brain damage caused by substance abuse.

However, exercise will not help you understand why you became addicted in the first place. It won’t help identify triggers or discover more effective strategies to manage your emotions on their own.

It may, however, aid in the improvement of your emotional state and the efficacy of other therapies.

There’s also a chance you’ll its too much and develop an exercise addiction, though this is uncommon. Before beginning an exercise program, speak with your doctor to ensure it is appropriate for you.

Final Note

Exercise and alcohol rehabilitation have been scientifically demonstrated to be linked. Exercising causes the body to release endorphins, which gives you a natural high. These are the same endorphins that are released by those who abuse narcotics.

Therefore, if you want to know more about them, ping us in the comment box. We will get back to you with an answer in no time that will help you find more interesting benefits of exercise in addiction treatment.