{"id":2031,"date":"2021-04-16T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T15:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/?page_id=2031"},"modified":"2022-04-27T10:25:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T14:25:41","slug":"exercise-addiction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.therecoveryvillage.com\/cocaine-addiction\/exercise-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Cocaine and Exercise Addiction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exercise addiction is a behavioral addiction that is not recognized as much as it should be. Cocaine addiction is a common co-occurring disorder.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Article at a Glance:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exercise addiction is a behavioral addiction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise addiction is harder to recognize than a substance addiction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athletes who use cocaine to fuel performance can become addicted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cocaine reduces athletic performance long-term<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthy exercise programs have been shown to ease the stress of cocaine withdrawal<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cocaine and Exercise Addiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Exercise is one of the healthiest activities that a person can do. However, like anything, there is a point when it becomes unhealthy if overdone. An addiction to a non-substance high, like exercise, is called behavioral addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If cocaine and exercise together fuel an exercise addiction or vice versa, it might indicate co-occurring disorders<\/a> that need rehab treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise addiction<\/a> is not officially recognized in the DSM-V as an addiction (it fits non-specifically into a general behavioral addiction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three or more of these symptoms might indicate exercise addiction. While using cocaine, exercise addiction qualifies as a co-occurring disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prevalence of Cocaine Abuse and Exercise Addiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 1.5 million people use cocaine each month<\/a>. Cocaine prevalence is about 0.6% of people ages 12 and older, and 1.4% of the 18 to 24-year-old age group. Cocaine accounts for about 40% of the nationwide emergency department visits that involve drug misuse or abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prevalence of exercise addiction<\/a> is estimated to be about 3% in the general population, which is about twice the prevalence of cocaine abuse. Why is exercise addiction double the prevalence of cocaine abuse? How can we interpret this information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercise addiction may go unnoticed most of the time because exercising is generally viewed as a positive activity. Unlike substance addictions<\/a>, behavioral addictions are harder to spot because there is no obvious piece of evidence, like a bag of cocaine or drug paraphernalia<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Cocaine Affect Exercise Addiction?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Athletes may use substances to improve their performance, but data shows that cocaine reduces the amount of fuel available to cells.<\/a> So cocaine might provide a small boost to performance at first, but it quickly drains a person\u2019s energy level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A person with co-occurring exercise and cocaine addiction<\/a> may then find themselves bouncing back and force between exercise and cocaine to achieve highs that are no longer possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Cocaine Recovery Cause Exercise Addiction?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, no, cocaine recovery does not cause exercise addiction. A healthy exercise program can help with the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal<\/a> and recovery. However, if someone replaces cocaine addiction with exercise addiction, then the underlying addiction tendencies need to be addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Withdrawal from cocaine creates a stress response, and people experiencing withdrawal symptoms try to stop these symptoms, sometimes by using more cocaine. Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal <\/a>are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n