What Can Physical Activity Do For Recovering Addicts?
By: Ric Burnett
Tags: Mental Health, Recovery, Running, Addiction, Psychology

What Can Physical Activity Do For Recovering Addicts?

Current science regarding addiction and rehabilitation through physical fitness

Photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash

The statistics surrounding drug addiction in America are overwhelming. The Addiction Center provides staggering statistics on how substance abuse is affecting Americans, but science shows we could reverse some of these numbers by including more physical activity in the recovery process. So why don’t we see more use of this knowledge for substance abuse rehabilitation?

Luckily, some programs are starting to recognize the benefits of physical activity and are including them in the rehabilitation process. With the help of science and raising awareness, we have the opportunity to increase the possibility of recovery.

It doesn’t take journalism and some statistics to show you America has an addiction issue. Millions of people have been personally affected or know someone affected by this epidemic. Not only do we have an addiction issue, but we also have a problem with how we treat addiction.

Despite evidence supporting different methods of treatment, America can’t seem to wrap its mind around alternative methods and collaborative treatment. One combinational therapy showing tremendous effectiveness is adding physical activity to recovery treatment since exercise helps heal crucial areas of the brain affected by substance abuse.

What does addiction do to the brain?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, certain drugs can trick your brain into releasing natural chemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, in enormous amounts. Others interrupt normal messaging between your neurons. In other words, drugs trick your brain into running poorly. The more significant concern is precisely which areas of the brain are compromised.

The basal ganglia is one of the major areas of the brain affected by drug use. Consider this area the pleasure center. It is activated when we do things for our body that sustain us, like eating. Drugs interfere with this area, causing it to become overactive and eventually diminishing our ability to take pleasure in normal activities.

The drugs’ effects are felt even after it leaves your system. Your extended amygdala is over-sensitized because of drug use. This area of the brain helps us deal with stress and anxiety. Without it functioning correctly, drug addicts find it easier and easier to go back to the drugs instead of conquering the discomforts of withdrawal.

The prefrontal cortex feels the final punch. The prefrontal cortex is one of the last areas to develop fully, and is responsible for self-control and making decisions. From the combination of the other damaged areas of the brain and the prefrontal cortex, substance abuse becomes almost involuntary for the user. Their impulses win over their reasoning.

The negative feedback loop caused by this neural damage is what keeps most users addicted.

What does Exercise do to your brain?

Exercise is proven to increase our ability to think clearly, decrease stress, and improve memory. Physical activity causes your body to produce growth factors that contribute to new cell growth in important areas of the brain. Some of these areas of new growth directly correlate with the regions negatively affected by drug use. By allowing for better blood flow to the brain and increasing the volume of the prefrontal cortex, users in recovery can use physical activity to improve their chances of sticking with recovery.

“ Increasing your heart rate can actually reverse stress-induced brain damage by stimulating the production of neurohormones like norepinephrine, which not only improve cognition and mood but improve thinking clouded by stressful events.”- Dr. Shawna Charles

Physical activity also improves mood and allows for better sleep. Some of the issues associated with the degradation of the extended amygdala can be alleviated by exercise to allow for better control of a person in recovery’s reaction to stress. The ability to relax and sleep better helps during the withdrawal phase but also promotes the long-term potential for recovery since the user has a better handle on stress.

Exercise as medicine

Doctors are realizing how beneficial it is to add exercise to anyone’s routine. Many supporters are beginning to view physical activity as necessary as someone’s regular medication regiment. Dr. John J. Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard, believes exercise remodels the brain for optimal performance. In a recent article, Dr. Ratey backed exercise, saying it helped on three pivotal fronts.

It optimizes the mind for improved alertness Exercise encourages nerve cells to connect, which allows for better learning. Physical activity promotes the growth of new nerve cells in the hippocampus.

All of these things make the ability to learn and retain information more manageable. For people in recovery, exercise allows them to learn the information needed, but also remember and implement new thoughts easier.

Community involvement and self-esteem

Included with the need for physical rehabilitation, successful rehabilitation programs also openly state the need for community involvement to remain in remission. Tiffany Amdahl covers a wide variety of research, including the benefits of exercise for individuals in remission and states:

…exercise has been shown to improve mood, decrease feelings of stress, assist with increasing one’s support network, provide positive recreational activity, increase self-efficacy, and function as a means of coping… All of these are necessary aspects to learn to successfully achieve remission from a substance use disorder

Clair Twark, a medical doctor who advocates exercise for recovery and works with Women’s Faulkner Hospital Addiction Recovery Program, knows first hand the impact physical activity has. She says, “…many patients with various substance use disorders have found that exercise helps to distract them from cravings. Workouts add structure to the day. They help with forming positive social connections…” Her article promotes the need for a combination of therapies, which programs and non-profits around the country are making possible.

Who’s making a difference?

Combining multiple types of therapy for substance abuse recovery is no longer simply a good idea, it’s necessary. Science backs the benefits, and programs around the country are making it easier for recovering substance abusers to succeed.

Go The Distance is a non-profit in Portland, Oregon, that organizes weekly runs with a local in-house recovery center. They help provides shoes, clothes, and other equipment needed to help people new to recovery remain in remission. They provide support, help build self-esteem, and empower their runners in recovery to maintain their sobriety.

The Boston Bulldogs Running Club, which started in 2008, expanded its mission to include people suffering from addiction as well as their families.

The Phoenix is another recovery program that utilizes physical fitness, in the form of swimming, peer-based Crossfit, yoga, etc., to help create a community of people dedicated to promoting sobriety.

The future of sobriety

With millions of Americans affected annually by the damaging effects of drug use, understanding and implementing effective treatment can no longer be ignored. The science shows what exercise does for people in recovery. It shows the need for physical activity in repairing parts of the brain affected by drug use. Psychologists and recovery specialists show the benefits gained through a supportive community. Now, we need to make sure the information is being used. With help from donations and sponsors, non-profits and exercise-focused organizations are leading the way to recovery. Find out how you can help, because everyone deserves the chance to start their lives again.