The Canyon

Many studies over the years have touted the positive benefits of exercise for those who are in recovery. One organization in St. Petersburg is putting those theories into practice in an organized way. CLEAN (Citizens Learning to End Addiction Now), associated with Goodwill Industries in St. Petersubrg, is an organization dedicated to helping those in early recovery “recreate” themselves in a new and positive way.

Chris Nelson is a counselor at CLEAN. He says: “If we can recreate in a more positive different place with a more positive activity maybe we can recreate the brain to do something different other than crave a drug. The concept of sobriety is mind, body and spirit concept — that’s what we do in treatment.”

Vivian Sarber, 20, a recovering heroin addict, was a participant in the program. She says: “For me, it’s being able to finish something, you know, finish something that’s positive, because I have been kind of down the wrong path for a couple of years now.”

Michael Musser has been in recovery for a decade and also found personal benefits through CLEAN. He says: “I just get out, run, take all that anger and aggression that I had on me and just put it in my feet and run.”

Why Does Exercise Assist Recovery After Drug Addiction?

Is it the endorphins released in the brain during and after exercise? Is it the “runner’s high” that can only be accomplished through intense exercise, a close cousin to what you experience on drugs and alcohol without the residual negative effects of addiction?

Chris Nelson thinks so: “They don’t need the drug anymore, because they can achieve the satisfaction that the drug would provide by doing some other physical activity.”

There’s also the fact that if you’re running, you aren’t using. Those minutes on the track or running in the park or on a treadmill are minutes that aren’t spent getting high. In early recovery, finding a positive way to fill your time is a crucial part of avoiding relapse.

Another benefit is the ability to clear your head and physically vent pent up aggression and anxiety that often comes with large life changes like drug addiction treatment. Building a whole new life without drugs and alcohol is taxing on many levels; running gives you an outlet to address those emotions physically.

How Long Does Exercise Aid Recovery and Continued Drug Addiction Treatment?

As long as you continue to do it. Nelson says that a number of CLEAN graduates continue to run, even training for marathons in some cases.

If there isn’t a program near you or associated with your drug and alcohol rehab, you can start your own running regimen. Like recovery, you’ll be more successful and gain more benefits if you have a partner or a group of people holding you accountable. Try to find a local runner’s group or start your own. If you attend 12 step meetings or are currently in rehab, encourage others in recovery to join you. It will help you stay clean and sober, not only to run but to keep each other accountable to clean and sober goals as well.

When we talk about drug addiction and why it is a problem, we usually focus on the personal effects: health problems, financial problems, issues with family and relationships, lost jobs and opportunities. We don’t often talk about how others connected or only briefly connected to us suffer when we are a victim of drug and alcohol addiction. Today, we’ll talk about our actions under the influence and why they alone are enough to add up to a need for drug addiction treatment.

Drug Addiction Treatment and DUI

Most people associate a Driving Under the Influence, or DUI, charge with drinking and driving. Though this is one of the more common DUI issues since many don’t realize they are impaired when they get behind the wheel, it is just as common to get pulled over due to impairment by prescription drugs, marijuana and other common drugs. The accidents that occur due to bad choices made by a driver under the influence are exceedingly common and the victims, though they may often include the driver as well, also includes others who did nothing but end up in the wrong place at the wrong time: pedestrians, small children, mothers, fathers, grandparents…. The stories of loss due to DUI are endless and heartbreaking, and when the perpetrators aren’t killed in the accident, new and harsh laws are making sure that they spend plenty of time in prison suffering for their crime.

A Personal Story of the Effects of Drug Addiction

Linda was married for over a decade before her husband’s cocaine addiction affected their children. Though their marriage had suffered due to his infidelity under the influence and abusive behavior, they had both managed to keep the problem away from their children… or so they thought. When Linda’s husband cleaned out their savings while gambling on cocaine and lost his job a week later due to his erratic behavior, the addiction was still there and so, too, was his physical abuse. It was impossible for them to hide it from the kids when they moved, changed schools, and their father was around the house all the time. Though he didn’t technically use the drug in front of them, they still recognized the change in his behavior and, primarily, his anger that was amplified by the cocaine.

When Linda left him, he told her that all the behaviors she hated—the abuse, the cheating, the lying, the stealing from the family, yelling at the kids, the late nights, losing his job—all of it was because of his cocaine addiction and that it would all go away if he could stop. She agreed that all that was true, but having heard the promises of quitting before, she simply told him: “Go to a cocaine rehab. If you don’t, you can add us to the list of things you lost when you finally do get clean.”

Drug Treatment Now

If you are struggling with cocaine addiction or addiction to another drug, no one expects you to go through it alone. Contact a drug rehab today that can help you with your personal needs and proved treatment that will help you to get back on track before you hurt yourself or anyone else.

The Recovery Project, sponsored by A&E television networks, just might be the largest initiative ever to reach out to addicts and families in need of this kind of specialized guidance and support. 

The press release on the show highlights findings from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to drive home the importance of the project: “More than 22 million Americans struggle with addiction to alcohol and other drugs, yet fewer than ten percent receive the treatment they need because of stigma, lack of awareness or cost.” 

So how does one lead an addict from the depths of despair to the shores of hope and recovery? 

Build a Bridge toward Recovery

On September 27 last year, thousands of individuals, families, friends, treatment partners, advocates, celebrities, and community leaders linked arms and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge showing solidarity in the fight against the stigma of drug addiction.  As a symbolic vow to support those on their quest through recovery, the human bridge progressed towards Lower Manhattan and rallied on the grounds of City Hall Park.

“Inspired by the incredible response from viewers, individuals and families in recovery to the Emmy-nominated documentary series Intervention… The Recovery Project strives to shed light on the scope of the addiction crisis, and its impact on society,” the release said.

Partner With Organizations Committed to Successful Recovery

A&E is joining forces with nation-wide non-profit groups and federal agencies to spread the word about this multi-year campaign through education, personal stories, recovery and treatment options, plus resources to help parents connect with their kids in an effort to prevent drug abuse:

• NCADD – National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
• SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• PDFA – Partnership for a Drug Free America

Participate in Awareness Rallies or Organize One in Your Hometown

They are doing the rally again this year on September 12, 2009. To become a part of this historic nationwide event, just visit www.therecoveryproject.com to sign up.  If you can’t make it to New York, you can rally your own town to join forces against the stigma of addiction by hosting your own march for solidarity.  Spread the word through your town’s newspaper and local radio station, then visit Recovery Month to add your event to the history books.

Tell Us: Do you think this is an effective way to raise awareness about the issues that drug and alcohol addicts face?