Exercise for Addiction Recovery
This guest article was written and submitted by Jason Lewis, a personal trainer that specializes in senior fitness and founder of Strong Well.
Physical fitness is now recognized as an important tool for addiction recovery. People have long spoken of the natural high that accompanies certain exercises, such as running or lifting weights. Not only does this natural exercise euphoria feel great, it is so similar to the feelings that people get while using substances like drugs and alcohol that the brain doesn’t know the difference. Exercise, then, truly is a tool for swapping out a bad habit for a good one.
The science of brain chemicals
Brain science is complex. Many of the feelings we experience are just the result of different chemicals coursing through our gray matter. Some help us regulate mood, while others make us happy, give us pleasure or alleviate pain. In addition to these chemicals, there are special neurotransmitters and receptors that determine whether we feel happy or sad or good or bad. Drugs and alcohol affect all of these components in different ways. Exercise, in general, turns all the switches to positive.
Exercise builds confidence, too
In addition, exercise builds confidence and reduces stress. Low self-esteem and stress are both linked to causes of addictive behaviors. Working out makes you feel better about yourself, not only because you physically look better, but because you are taking steps to improve your health and engaging in positive activities that usually have a strong social component.
Because of the similarity between the highs from substances and exercise, many treatment centers have begun incorporating workouts into recovery programs. Some people attest to exercise’s ability to beat addiction completely. Medical professionals add caution to these claims, stating that while exercise is an effective tool for addiction recovery, it is insufficient on its own because it fails to identify and treat the root causes of addiction. Many people initiate exercise programs with great intentions only to drop off after a few months or a year. If exercise is not sustained, and it is the sole foundation for recovery, there is a high likelihood of relapse. Accordingly, professionals advocate for a blend of traditional recovery techniques, such as a 12-step group program, and complementary therapies such as fitness.
Finding sustainable fitness
Since recovering addicts are seeking total life changes, sustainable exercise is necessary. In order to find a workout plan that fits into your life, it is important to determine which activities are enjoyable. These fun workouts can then be the basis of a new routine that will not be measured in weight loss or other fitness milestones, but simply folded into one’s daily routine. Instead of doing a 30-day workout challenge, challenge yourself to exercise every day. For instance, if you’re a senior, simply walking indoors or doing some balance exercises can improve your fitness level. Once exercise becomes second nature and not a box to be checked each week, then you will find not only sustained fitness, but aversion to substance use.
This aversion to substance abuse may be the key to how exercise supplants addiction. Those who exercise have hobbies; active social lives that do not revolve around partying, drinking, and doing drugs; and little extra time for negative activities like getting high.
Sustainable fitness is also supported by other healthy habits which in turn help to push out addictive tendencies. Healthy diets, for example, support both exercise and addiction recovery, helping to repair bodies battered by drugs and alcohol and provide fuel for workouts.
Exercise and general whole-body fitness help people fight addiction. When the goal is overall health and well-being, harmful behaviors can be effectively forced out of the picture. When exercise and healthy living are combined, sustainable substance-free existence is possible for almost anyone. Fitness not only creates strong bodies, but also stronger, healthier minds that find joy in life, not in getting high.
Are you seeking freedom from addiction? Our Full Armor Training Templates can help you create a well-balanced fitness routine and reframe your perspective about health.
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