Exercise as adjunctive treatment for alcohol use disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Addiction medicine
• Exercise science
• Public health

Background:

• Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a significant public health concern.
• Effective adjunct therapies for outpatient alcohol treatment are needed.
• The role of physical activity in AUD recovery is an area of ongoing research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of supervised and individual physical exercise interventions on alcohol consumption.
• To assess if physical activity as an adjunct to outpatient alcohol treatment influences drinking behaviors.
• To determine outcomes at six months and 12 months post-treatment initiation.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with three arms: treatment as usual (TAU), TAU + supervised group exercise, and TAU + individual physical exercise.
• Primary outcome: excessive drinking at six months post-treatment.
• Logistic regression and generalized linear mixed models were used for analysis.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in excessive drinking was found between exercise groups and the control group.
• Moderate physical activity was associated with significantly lower odds of excessive drinking (OR = 0.12).
• A dose-response relationship was observed: each additional exercising day correlated with a 4% decrease in alcohol consumption.

Conclusions:

• While direct exercise interventions did not alter drinking outcomes, moderate physical activity demonstrated a protective effect.
• Findings suggest that promoting physically active lifestyles is beneficial for patients undergoing alcohol treatment.
• A dose-response association supports integrating exercise into AUD treatment protocols.