The Role of Exercise in the Treatment of Alcoholism

Abstract

It is commonly accepted that alcohol abuse has harmful effects on the human body associated with serious health problems. This article presents research from 1970 to 2015 on the use of exercise in the treatment of alcohol abuse. Also mentioned are potential psychological and physiological mechanisms that contribute to the action of exercise, highlighting the role of beta- endorphin in alcoholism and the possible relationship among physical activity, the endogenous opioid system and the desire for alcohol.
In this scope a series of studies have been conducted on heavy drinkers and alcoholic patients. Results are shown concerning consumption of alcohol as well as physiological effects in response to one bout of exercise and a supervised 8-week exercise program.Generally, despite the limited available literature there is some early promising evidence for the role of exercise as an adjunctive tool in the treatment of alcoholism.