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With a $15.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) , a team at the UT Southwestern Medical Center is investigating the merits of vigorous workouts when it comes to kicking a drug habit.
Animal studies have already suggested that exercise improves brain function in a way that's similar to how the brain recovers from drug abuse.
"Exercise would give people who abuse drugs an alternative ritualistic activity that may help them disengage from their drug-related behaviors while also improving their health and quality of life," lead researcher Dr. Madhukar Trivedi said in a statement.
The project, called Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE), is already well under way. A second phase will kick off thanks to the NIDA grant.
Participants are being enrolled at drug-treatment facilities. One group will receive standard inpatient and outpatient care. The other will also partake in three treadmill workouts a week for several months.
By tracking exercise patterns as well as rates of addiction relapse, the research team can determine what impact -- if any -- the exercise had on the ongoing well-being of participants.
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They're also hoping to see participants enjoy the additional benefits of a good workout, like better sleep patterns, healthier body mass and improved mood. Relapse, as well as drug addiction in the first place, is closely linked to stress. Exercise, by acting on hormones that are closely implicated in the body's stress response, might get to the core of addictive behaviors and reduce cravings.
"If exercise is a successful treatment, then it could drastically change addiction interventions," Dr. Trivedi said. "Exercise is relatively inexpensive and can be done by an individual without a huge therapeutic setting -- people could start running on the streets."
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