Exercise and the Brain: One Way to Help With Recovery

by Lisa Frederiksen

Whether it’s a long walk in the woods or a half-hour on the treadmill or a rousing round of hula hoop with the family, exercise — in any of its many, many forms — can help with recovery for loved ones of an alcoholic or alcohol abuser and for the alcoholic/alcohol abuser themselves. That’s quite a claim, to be sure, but when we keep in mind that recovery – whether it’s for the alcoholic/alcohol abuser and/or the family member – is all about rewiring our neural networks, Dr. John J. Ratey’s new book, SPARK, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, is a thrilling read. Really!

Dr. Ratey’s book gives us the latest on the role of exercise in brain function. To give a very, very broad brush stroke summary of that role, exercise helps with the brain’s “infrastructure” and its three key regulatory neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. These three neurotransmitters regulate the brain’s signaling processes and everything else the brain does. Serotonin, for example, influences mood, impulsivity, anger and aggressiveness. Norepinephrine, on the other hand, helps with the signals that influence attention, perception, motivation and arousal.  [SPARK, 37]

Dopamine is key to the neural networks in the brain’s pleasure/reward center and can be deeply compromised with repeated alcohol abuse. According to Dr. Ratey, exercise “boosts dopamine” and “…chronic exercise increases dopamine storage in the brain and also triggers the production of enzymes that create dopamine receptors in the reward center of the brain….” [SPARK p. 121]

There is SO MUCH great information in this book, but I found the role of exercise in helping with stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD and addiction, especially exciting. Remember: a dual diagnosis is common for just over half of alcoholics/alcohol abusers. So I suggest you pick up a copy of SPARK, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain and give your version of exercise a try.