Journal of Psychoactive Drugs: Regular training reduces desire to use drugs, study shows

Researchers from Middlesex University (UK) have found that regular exercise helps fight drug addiction.

The respective research was published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Traditional approaches to drug addiction treatment often focus on psychological and pharmacological interventions, but new evidence suggests that alternative measures, such as exercise, may provide additional benefit.

The aforesaid conclusions by the researchers are based on the study of the data of 57,100 participants who suffer from addiction to various drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, mephedrone, cannabis, etc.

The researchers found that for most of the substances examined, people who reported frequent physical exertion tended to have lower rates of dependence.

This suggests that regular physical activity may be associated with less severe forms of addiction among substance users.

Physical education is the best way to overcome the desire to use cannabis.

The finding is consistent with theoretical approaches that suggest that exercise can modulate the brain's “reward” system by influencing the release and reuptake of neurotransmitters involved in pleasure and addiction.

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