Summary: New research shows that both aerobic exercise and yoga can lessen the desire to drink alcohol. In an acute test, one session of aerobic exercise lowered alcohol cravings, reduced stress, and improved mood.
Source: Karolinska Institute
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet report new findings on reducing alcohol consumption through physical activity. Three related papers from the randomized controlled trial FitForChange were published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Alcohol use ranks among the top global risk factors for death and disability. These new results could expand non‑stigmatizing, accessible treatment options for people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) by showing how exercise and yoga may reduce drinking and improve both mental and physical health.
Barriers to seeking help for AUD
Many people with AUD do not seek treatment. Perceived stigma and dissatisfaction with existing treatments are common reasons for avoiding specialist care. The researchers emphasize the need for effective, acceptable alternatives that address both addictive behavior and the somatic health problems often associated with AUD.
“Current treatments—psychological therapies and medication—can be effective, but relapse rates remain high and these approaches do not always improve physical health,” says Mats Hallgren, project leader at the Department of Global Public Health. “Because aerobic exercise is recommended for general health and yoga is widely practiced, we evaluated both as potential interventions for people with AUD.”
Yoga and aerobic exercise lower alcohol use
The trial compared two exercise interventions—structured aerobic training and yoga—with usual care. The study included 140 physically inactive adults diagnosed with AUD who were not currently seeking specialist treatment. Participants in the two activity arms were encouraged and supported to exercise three times per week for 12 weeks.
Assessments took place at baseline and after 12 weeks, with about 90% of participants completing the follow-up assessment. The trial collected blood samples to evaluate somatic health markers and used accelerometers to objectively measure changes in physical activity. Within the larger randomized controlled trial, researchers also ran an acute exercise experiment: participants completed a single 12‑minute bout of intense cycling to examine immediate effects on alcohol cravings, mood, and anxiety.
Overall alcohol consumption fell in all three groups. Yoga participants showed the largest absolute reduction—about 6.9 standard drinks per week—with statistically significant and clinically meaningful decreases across the interventions. These results suggest both aerobic exercise and yoga can be viable options for people who prefer non‑clinic‑based or less stigmatizing approaches to reducing alcohol intake.
The acute exercise session produced immediate benefits: a single bout of aerobic exercise reduced cravings for alcohol, lowered anxiety, and improved mood. The investigators propose that exercising when cravings are high—often in the afternoon or evening—could be especially effective. Replacing a drinking episode with a brief exercise session may gradually retrain the brain to find reward in physical activity rather than alcohol, cutting cravings over time.
Both exercise forms also reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, with the largest decreases observed among yoga participants. Since negative mood and anxiety commonly trigger drinking, these mental health improvements are an important mechanism by which physical activity may support reduced alcohol use and sustained recovery.
The brain’s reward system and other mechanisms
Several biological and psychological pathways may explain how exercise affects alcohol consumption. Physical activity produces immediate mood benefits, lowers stress, and has anxiolytic effects—all factors that can reduce craving and make behavior change more achievable. Exercise can also boost self‑esteem and enhance confidence in one’s ability to control drinking.
Alcohol dependence is associated with disruption of the dopaminergic reward system. Exercise has been shown to influence dopamine synthesis and reward processing in ways that could reduce alcohol craving. In this study, yoga combined postures with relaxation and breathing exercises, which may offer additional therapeutic benefits relevant to AUD.
Next steps: sustaining activity and implementing interventions
Mats Hallgren notes the next priorities are to determine whether the benefits of exercise persist long term and to investigate how exercise influences cognition in people with AUD—a domain often impaired in addiction and relevant to recovery. While the dopamine hypothesis is biologically plausible, testing this mechanism directly in humans using exercise interventions remains a research need.
Encouraging and maintaining regular physical activity is a practical challenge. Effective programs should pair exercise with behavior‑change support to help people initiate and sustain new routines. Another challenge is translating these findings into clinical practice: primary and specialist healthcare systems currently lack the structure to deliver exercise interventions at scale. Integrating physical therapists and exercise professionals into care pathways could help assess, prescribe, and monitor activity programs for patients with AUD.
About this exercise and AUD research news
Author: Press Office
Source: Karolinska Institute
Contact: Press Office – Karolinska Institute
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: The findings will appear in Drug and Alcohol Dependence