People struggling with an alcohol addiction are harming their bodies in a couple of ways.
First, they are introducing a toxic element into their body on a regular basis.
Second, they develop unhealthy behaviors that cause them to neglect their overall health.
In order to repair the damage done, addicts have to work very hard in treatment and throughout their recovery.
Regular exercise is a wonderful way to work on the damage cause by alcohol dependency and abuse, especially during alcohol detox.
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1) It Reduces and Relieves Stress
Every day, you face stressors and typically, as an addict, you would cope by drinking.
However, once recovery takes that option off the table, the stress has a high chance of becoming tension in the body.
By moving your body, you can ease that tension, and you can rid yourself of any attached negative emotions as well.
By using focused exercise, you can use up emotional and physical energy that might build up and cause problems or find an unhealthy way to escape.
2) It Positively and Naturally Modifies Brain Chemistry
When you abuse alcohol, you train your brain to want the sensations that come with drinking.
Those reroute pathways in the reward center of your brain, and those new neural pathways feed your addiction.
When you exercise, you trigger your body to release endorphins and those also cause a pleasure response in your brain.
This teaches your brain that it can feels satisfaction, pleasure, and happiness without drinking.
Over time, your pathways may return to the state they were in before your addiction.
3) It Helps You Achieve a Meditative State
One reason alcohol rehab centers encourage patients to exercise is that it helps with a mindfulness practice.
When you exercise, you refocus your thoughts on yourself in the moment, and you let go of the depression that comes from ruminating on the past and the anxiety that comes from worrying about the future.
This newfound clarity can make your recovery more manageable.
About The Author:
Mary is a dedicated journalist of www.addictions.com and www.detox.com with a background in addiction treatment and recovery. She mostly writes about the ways that drug addiction can interfere with interpersonal relationships but enjoys all things recovery related. When she’s not thinking about her writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
