Drug and alcohol abuse wreaks havoc on a person’s physical and mental well being. One of the most important steps in a healthy treatment program is to work to undo some of that damage, if possible, through good nutrition and exercise habits. These habits that you can develop in treatment can help you maintain your recovery a little easier once you’ve left the treatment center, and exercise provides people with incredible benefits, even with low impact exercises or activities.

Below are four ways that exercise benefits your recovery from drug or alcohol addiction:

  1. Exercise naturally adjusts brain chemistry – Alcohol and drug abuse releases endorphins in the same way that the body does during exercise, but it creates a severe imbalance that affects how a person feels pleasure. Exercise releases these endorphins naturally, and dedicated exercise during treatment and recovery helps you to properly reintroduce normal levels of endorphins in your system, rather than flooding it. It re-teaches your brain how to enjoy things without drugs or alcohol.
  2. Exercise is meditative – While you should always be aware of yourself, your actions and your surroundings during exercise for safety, there’s something meditative about the movement, no matter how hard or gentle an exercise is. For a while, we’re able to simply focus on ourselves and our well-being, providing us with a clarity through the turmoil of our daily lives that can make recovery more manageable.
  3. It improves your perspective – When you regularly exercise, you general feel better as time goes on, including how self confident you are and lower feelings of depression and anxiety. It can provide you with a sense of accomplishment that gives you a boost to continue in your sobriety.
  4. Exercise relieves stress – Tension is constantly building in our bodies, whether it’s from work, home or finances, and before treatment, you likely would have started to use a substance once that tension began to creep in. Exercise gives you a healthy outlet to relieve this stress through physical movement and effort, rather than simply vegging out in front of the TV or computer.

When you make regular exercise a habit, it will have a positive impact on most everything that you do, from your sleeping habits to how you feel about yourself. It’s a healthy way of coping with negative emotions, and the benefits to your physical health can help push you to keep striving for a healthy lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

Addiction can rob you of your health and your dignity. Our 5-week program at The Springboard Center treats the whole person, creating healing in mind, body, and spirit. Bringing together evidence-based treatments and trusted 12-step principles, our best practices create a quality, accessible treatment program serving the Permian Basin and beyond. Call us today for information on our availability: (432) 620-0255