How to Use Exercise to Stay Sober
A sensible exercise regimen can be an invaluable part of a plan to stay sober. Exercise provides the same sense of well-being that people often try to get by using alcohol. Aside from the psychological benefits, exercise helps rebuild a healthy body after the debilitating effects of alcohol use and withdrawal. For alcoholics and addicts, an exercise plan makes exercise part of a healthy, sober lifestyle rather than a new obsession.
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Instructions
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Using Exercise to Stay Sober
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Talk to your doctor about your exercise plans. This is standard advice, but it applies more if you have recently stopped drinking. It's not uncommon for a newly sober person to be malnourished and to have lost significant muscle mass. This is true even if you are overweight. Liver, kidney, stomach or heart problems are common, too. If you were physically dependent on alcohol, withdrawal was extremely taxing to your body. Medical supervision is always recommended during and following alcohol withdrawal.
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Set a short-term exercise goal that you can accomplish easily and write it down in a notebook This may be as simple as a daily walk around the block. Remember that you are recovering from illness and resist the temptation to feel bad about your level of fitness.
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Exercise even when you don't feel like it. This is when you need it most. The endorphins your body makes during vigorous exercise increase your sense of well-being. Exercise also helps you to re-establish healthy sleep patterns. These both contribute to mental stability and staying sober. Log your daily exercise in a notebook.
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Plan increases in the duration and intensity of your workout for three weeks. Write these down in a notebook. Make the increases modest. You will feel stronger quickly, but in the first months after getting sober your body is especially susceptible to joint pain and overuse injuries.
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Follow your exercise plan as you have written it. Make it simple but easy to forget once you've been sober a little while and are feeling better. Increase your workouts only as much as you've decided ahead of time. This is important for keeping your exercise habits healthy and not obsessive.
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Continue to exercise judiciously. It's a good idea to go for a run at the end of each day instead of unwinding with a drink. However, it's not okay to stress your body with excessive exercise in order to get the runner's high. To make sure you stay on the right exercise track, talk about your exercise and sobriety plan with your physician on a regular basis.
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Tips & Warnings
Attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Although self-help techniques like exercising, eating and sleeping regularly are an integral part of a good sobriety plan, they do not replace group support. They are always more effective when used along with a proven 12-step method.
Exercise can become a compulsive habit similar to alcohol or other chemical dependency. If you become anxious when you miss a workout, or if you begin to suffer injury or other health problems due to exercise, talk to your doctor about it.
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