The role of a physical fitness program in the treatment of alcoholism.

Abstract

A fitness program, consisting of 1 h of progressively more vigorous aerobic exercise 5 days/wk, was administered to 58 residents (12 women; mean age 42) of Foster Pavillion, an inpatient alcoholism treatment center in Quebec, Canada, for the full 6 wk of their treatment. Although the residents had a very low baseline fitness level, their fitness improved at the same rate expected for nonalcoholics: body fat decreased, basal heart rate decreased and maximum O2 uptake increased. These measures remained the same, however, in Foster residents who participated only partially in the fitness programs and in residents of another treatment center which offers no fitness program. At a 3-mo. follow-up, abstinence rates were 38% for residents at Foster before the fitness program was offered (n = 19), 69.3% for residents at Foster during the time that the fitness program was offered (n = 87), and 36.9% for residents of other treatment centers in Quebec (n = 80). A partial 18-mo. follow-up corroborated these findings.