Exercise is not just something you should do regularly to stay fit; it is something that has many benefits for those who are recovering from addiction. Physical activity has been shown as a potential treatment that offers great success for those who are not only in a treatment program but who have finished a treatment program and need to sustain their sobriety.
What are the Key Benefits of Exercise in Addiction Recovery?
Many scientific studies have examined the use of exercise as a way to help people in recovery.
Dopaminergic Transmission
When an individual becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, their dopamine responses are compromised by those substances. This means it’s harder to get a positive dopamine response from other activities.
However, some research has found that when exercise is used immediately after detox, it can help facilitate what is called a dopaminergic transmission, meaning exercise can help restore your dopamine signals and reverse the changes in your neural reward pathway that drugs and alcohol brought about.
Reduced Risk of Relapse
On a related note, many people risk a relapse after treatment because of things like cravings. The longer an individual is able to remain abstinent, the more likely they are to continue applying things like coping mechanisms and relapse prevention strategies.
A systematic literature review found that people who exercised while receiving treatment at an inpatient clinic and those who participated in regular exercise while attending an outpatient program had a significant change in things like:
- Reduced cravings
- More days abstinent
- Decreased effects of abuse
- Better dopamine rewards
- Relapse prevention
This means that regular exercise not only during an inpatient or outpatient treatment plan but also after can go a long way toward reducing your risk of relapse.
Mood Improvement
Regular exercise is known for its ability to change your mood. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, and these naturally combat depression or anxiety.
Research indicates that a significant number of people in recovery also experience depression and anxiety. This can be in the form of a co-occurring disorder where an individual has both conditions, but in most cases, it is simply symptoms of depression or anxiety brought about by the significant change that is getting sober.
Exercise can help manage the difficult emotions and problems with mood by changing the dopamine responses as mentioned, and also by naturally elevating your mood through endorphins.
Cognitive Improvement
Your brain is responsible for handling all of your cognitive functions, including reasoning, learning, and memory. Addiction can disrupt these cognitive areas, leading to problems with all of them: difficulty focusing or retaining information, problems storing memory, and issues with impulse control or attention.
Exercise actually improves your cognition by increasing blood flow to things like the hippocampus and reducing inflammation that could result from addiction. Regular exercise increases the release of endorphins, which work to minimize cortisol levels or stress hormones and promote good communication in the brain. Both of these factors help you to learn more throughout your life, improve your brain cell development, and improve your memory and your thinking skills.
Exercise Therapy with The Differents
At The Differents, we pride ourselves on doing things differently. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, our treatment center is just minutes from Lake Tahoe, something that we heavily incorporate into our innovative approach to finding purpose beyond addiction.
Clients have the opportunity to exercise regularly from the minute their programs start, no matter the season. We know that nature can heal, so we combine nature with your individual and group therapy sessions through activities like:
- Fishing
- Kayaking
- Hiking
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Paddleboarding
The winter adventures at our luxury drug rehab center give you access to scenic snowshoeing trails at Heavenly Mountain or a chance to experience sledding and ice skating at Northstar. We provide activities that are full of exercise, no matter your skill level. We take advantage of Wild Mustang Adventures and offer indoor activities where you can practice on our NBA regulation basketball court or our state-of-the-art two-lane bowling alley.
Our goal is to provide ample indoor and outdoor opportunities throughout the year to reap the key benefits of exercise in addiction recovery.
With each of these activities, you have the opportunity to reap the key benefits of exercise in addiction recovery, restore your connection to nature and your inner self, rediscover your purpose, and connect with other people.
Among the therapies we offer is Equine Therapy where you can focus on building trust and communication by connecting with horses and going horseback riding as another way to reap the key benefits of exercise in addiction recovery.
