Physical activity is the No. 1 pillar of a sober lifestyle, explains sobriety coach Veronica Valli, author of Soberful: Uncover a Sustainable, Fulfilling Life Free of Alcohol.
“When we pursue sobriety, movement helps enormously. In fact, I require all my clients to adopt some form of regular exercise,” she writes in a 2022 Experience Life article. “Movement fills time in a positive way, improves our energy levels, and connects us to others in a healthy fashion.”
Moreover, exercise can stimulate the production of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, restoring the balance that alcohol disturbs.
The type of exercise you do matters less than the act of doing it — which Valli describes as an expression of self-worth.
“You might choose long walks, kettlebell training, long-distance bike rides, short HIIT workouts — how you move doesn’t really matter,” she notes. “What’s important is finding activities that bring you joy, which is the best motivator.”
Scott Strode, author of Rise. Recover. Thrive. How I Got Strong, Got Sober, and Built a Movement of Hope, agrees. “If you’re trying to change your life, it doesn’t take much to make a difference,” he says. “When I started my sobriety journey, I would do pushups and sit-ups and squats during commercials on TV — even that had a profound effect.
“When you’re ready, start moving your body, set a routine, and surround yourself with other people. Most importantly, show yourself some grace. Climbing a mountain isn’t all ascending into the sunlight; there are dark sections too. As long as you keep moving, you’ll climb back into the light again.”
Learn More
Find five tips for staying sober at
“5 Tips to Stay Sober.”
For details on the sober-curious movement, go to
“The Sober-Curious Movement.”
Moving for Mental Health
Exercise is a powerful tool for improving mental health: It can reduce stress, relieve depression and anxiety, and be a salve for loneliness, to name a few of its benefits. Delve into the many ways movement can serve as medicine for the mind at “7 Ways Movement Benefits Mental Health,” from which this article was excerpted.
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