AND BREATHING TOO –
Sept. 2, 2025 – Addiction changes the brain, body, and behavior. Persistent insomnia, craving, depression, anhedonia, and anxiety may continue for months after sobriety, often leading to relapse. While we search for medications and treatments to set the clock back to pre-addiction, researchers have shown that regular exercise is a major plus. But many people, even doctors, don’t realize exercise helps considerably with addiction recovery, as well as anxiety and depression. For example, research reveals that actively exercising only 10 to 20 minutes a day reduces powerful nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms immediately. Exercise has also shown promise for aiding in cocaine and methamphetamine stimulant use disorders. For alcohol use disorder, researchers have found that exercise reduces craving and withdrawal severity.
