http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/21/health/cnnheroes-exercise-addiction/index.html?hpt=he_c1
I found this article interesting because it talked about overcoming addiction. We spent a good amount of time covering drugs and addiction in class. This articles discusses how exercise can be used to overcome addiction. It is a relatively new development, however their have been studies conducted which shows positive results for exercise helping to beat addiction. One study showed that when rats had an exercise wheel in their cage then they were more likely to use that, rather than morphine. The article also discusses how exercising offers a certain "high", which addicts are use to getting from their drugs, but can now experience it in a positive way. Exercise is almost the complete opposite from what for example alcohol can offer a person. A person is getting healthier, having better self-esteem, etc, and they are focusing on something that keeps their mind off addiction.
I think this article has a lot of valid points. I still think their needs to be more research on the topic. The article appeared because one person wrote a book on his journey to recover from alcoholism. It worked for him, but that may not be the case for everyone. The final verdict is yet to be decided. With other recovery methods, I believe a lot has to do with the willpower of the individual and their willingness to change. I believe that exercise is a good thing and can definitely help, however I do not believe it is the save all way for helping addicts recover.
I thought this article was very interesting because, from what I have generally witness, achieving and maintaining sobriety was usually sought after through psychological treatment matched with medications and, hopefully, social support from family and friends. However, these methods never really mention a coping mechanism for these people's addictions, such as the man in this article replacing his substance abuse addiction with running and exercise. Even though exercise is obviously better than substance abuse, when does this exercise also become an addiction. In the article, the author stated that Shubaly began running about 50 miles a day. Can and should this running be considered an addiction? This is not just casual running like someone can have a casual drink after work. This is an extreme addiction of hard substance abuse replaced with an extreme addiction of running an excessive amount. Yes, Shubaly is sober, but I believe that he has simply replaced his substance abuse addiction with another, thus, not actually curing the source problem of his addiction.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting idea to try to "replace" and addiction with a "healthy obsession". I feel like most people who have addictions have the capability of getting addicted to anything. Therefore, a "healthy" obsession would eventually become significantly unhealthy. I think that too much of a good thing always turns into a bad thing and in this case, even if they were spending hours a day exercising or doing something productive, eventually that would lead to an unproductive end result because they would be TOO involved and TOO consumed with the activity like they were when they had a drug or alcohol addiction. I'm sure this is the overall concern from everybody who has read this article. I do think it is an effective way to deter someone from such detrimental addictions like heroin addiction however, I still don't think it is a mentally effective way of removing addiction from a persons mentality.
ReplyDeleteI see many pros and cons to this. I agree that the addict is replacing one addiction for another. Exercise is generally a healthy alternative to drug and alcohol addiction and the release of dopamine offers a natural high. I do foresee that a person with an addictive personality could overdo exercise, leading to physical complications. What happens when physical ailments makes it impossible for the person to exercise? Does that person have a "plan B" other than drinking and drugs to fill the time? I think exercise should be a significant component of the addicts rehab, but he should be given more than one tool to fight the addiction.
ReplyDeleteI also find this article interesting. I do however find that curing addiction through exercise is curing a more psychological based addiction, rather than a physiological based addiction. I would say that exercising isnt really curing the addiction, but rather fixing a social issue and keeping the person from relapsing, like the article said. Im sure if a hardcore heroin addict is faced with either running 10 miles, or using heroin, they would use heroin in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeletePatrick Ryan
I agree and disagree with what you are saying. I think that, psychologically, exercise can definitely be a way to get people out of the habit of using drugs and into the healthier habit of exercising. However, I think that exercise has also been proven to physiologically release chemicals and hormones that can be useful in overcoming addiction. I think this is the "high" that Taylor mentioned in the post. While I agree with you that a hardcore heroin addict would probably rather use drugs than run ten miles, I'm sure there are some activities that may be more appealing, and could really help that addict to overcome his or her addiction physiologically and psychologically.
DeleteThis is very interesting and I agree that exercising would certainly be a great alternative to using drugs. The influx of endorphins after exercising really cannot disappoint, but I wonder exactly how the researchers were able to introduce exercise as an alternative to the rats. It is unclear whether or not the rats were addicted before the exercise wheel was introduced. If they were, I wonder how they were able to switch the rats from the heroin to the exercise wheel.
ReplyDeleteThis topic definitely needs to be researched more. I think exercise is a fantastic idea for helping addicts overcome their addiction. However, I would worry about exercise itself becoming an addiction. While exercise is healthy for the body, it has to be done correctly to avoid harming the body. On that line of though, I wonder what type of exercise would be the most effective in helping addicts.
I agree with this research and believe it can provide many positive benefits to people suffering from negative addictive behaviors. I think recovering addicts need the distraction of exercise to keep them from relapsing. After exercising on a regular schedule it becomes a habit. Exercising releases endorphins that create feelings of well-being and even a type of high that can help a recovering addict shy away from the drugs and alcohol.
ReplyDeleteI think this topic definitely needs to be researched more. It would be interesting to see how exercising on a regular basis impacted recovery rates of addicts but more importantly how it would impact relapse rates. The highest rates of relapse occur in the first year of sobriety so this would mean a recovering addict would need to exercise consistently for at least a year. The type and intensity of the exercise would also be interesting to investigate. I think the only con of this research is if a drug addict turned his addiction to exercise in an extreme, unhealthy manner. However, I think a majority of people would rather benefit from this research than not and therefore it should be further looked at.
After reading this article, I completely agree with this research. I believe that replacing a negative behavior, specifcally those surrounding addiction, with a positive behavior (in Mishka Shubaly's case, exercise) is a productive and effective way to break away from a negative addiction. True, you can argue that "exercise" is not the new behavior needed to get rid of an addiction. I believe that the article is trying to encourage people with addictions to go be more active and find other sources of activities that they find pleasurable, keeps their minds focused, and promotes overall health, whether that be physical health through exercise or mental health through activities each individual enjoys.
ReplyDeleteI loved this article because I am a true believer that this is actually possible. Exercise is an addition of its own because the endorphins that are released truly do give you a "high" that comes without the crash and side effects from illegal/prescription drugs. Exercise even has the capability to become addictive, for example the disorder exercise anorexia. We discussed in class that endorphins are also known as "endogenous morphine" because they both interact with opiate receptors on the brain.
ReplyDeleteMcComas offers students a free week of workout classes during finals in order to give us an outlet for our stress and frustrations that we experience from all the tests. From experience, anyone can tell you that the best study break is a long walk or a quick run because you come back happier and more relaxed. Therefore, I do believe that an unhealthy addiction can be replaced with the similar pleasure from working out.
I also agree with this research. I think that if someone is struggling with an addiction, it is hard for them to just give it up and not have something else to do. Many people become in the habit of doing their addiction and it becomes a great part of their day and their life. If they were to replace their addiction with something that is healthy and productive, like exercising, I really believe that they will stick to it. I also think that it will be alternative for them to do instead of what they are addicted to. However, this could be a problem because instead of addressing the real root of their addiction problem, they are just replacing one thing with another. I think this research needs to be explored more and maybe help the addicts get to the root of their problem and once they have done that, they can replace the negative with a better alternative.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting because I've heard this theory suggested before, but in different terms. My father is an alcoholic, but has been sober for close to thirty years. When the Washington Nationals came to DC (I'm from NOVA, so they are my local team), he became obsessed with them. Our family friend, a neuropsychologist, commented that baseball may be his "dry addiction", a replacement for his "wet addiction" (drinking). She said that he could be transferring his addiction (in a healthier way) to baseball because it supplies him with a "high" after a win (just like exercise does), and supplies him with enough stats and consistent updates to captivate his interest year-round.
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