Cycling to recovery from alcohol or drug abuse?

[Juhan]

I was just wondering if anybody else here feels cycling has helped them to recover from alcohol or drug abuse. I am curious based upon my own experience in this regard and as I am doing a study on the topic. Thanks in advance!

 

[Unchained]

Good luck on your study.. bike riding and racing always were two very separate and distinctly different things for me..
While racing I didn't drink for almost @3 years.. I moved to Germany and then Belgium and had my ass handed to me by people who drank regularly, a very few smoked an occasional disco or out for a drink cigarette..an equally small group used party drugs on rare occasions that I observed.. I had extreme views on drugs and alcohol before observing elite cyclists who took B-12 and other things as routine as coffee.
My own personal view is that riding a bike for pleasure can be therapeutic on some level..
riding your bike for training and towards a racing purpose can really mess with your head.. injury.. weight gain and loss, lack of personal progress and results are very stressful..in my experience. The number one issue facing elite racers is having zero to negative 1,000,000 in the bank!!
I find that cycling can fill time and surround you with people and space that make the excess use of drugs and alcohol illogical.. therefore I would hypothesis that it is an overall helpful component in recovery..
Again good luck

 

[JayKosta]

Yes, being regularly involved with cycling can assist in stopping undesired activities. Exercise benefits both health and mood.

I think the important thing is to find an exercise or activity that you enjoy and which is not self-destructive.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

 

[Juhan]

Re:

Thanks for the great feedback everyone, and a special thanks to unchained for peeling away the layers on the pros can cons of riding at the different levels of intensity; fascinating stuff!

Good luck on your study.. bike riding and racing always were two very separate and distinctly different things for me..
While racing I didn't drink for almost @3 years.. I moved to Germany and then Belgium and had my *** handed to me by people who drank regularly, a very few smoked an occasional disco or out for a drink cigarette..an equally small group used party drugs on rare occasions that I observed.. I had extreme views on drugs and alcohol before observing elite cyclists who took B-12 and other things as routine as coffee.
My own personal view is that riding a bike for pleasure can be therapeutic on some level..
riding your bike for training and towards a racing purpose can really mess with your head.. injury.. weight gain and loss, lack of personal progress and results are very stressful..in my experience. The number one issue facing elite racers is having zero to negative 1,000,000 in the bank!!
I find that cycling can fill time and surround you with people and space that make the excess use of drugs and alcohol illogical.. therefore I would hypothesis that it is an overall helpful component in recovery..
Again good luck

 

[rayshow053]

A recovered alcoholic here (if there is such a notion as a former alcoholic). Alcohol should be made illegal. It ruined my family, actually I ruined my family with the help of alcohol. There was a period in my life, when alcoholics anonymous hotline (addictionresource ) was the only way to get out. Also I highly recommend the book Drunkard by Neil Steinberg. Read it, and if you see yourself in it, seek help.

If it makes sense in your life to move on from drinking and explore all of the other things that life has to offer you then that's great- just don't let friends try to make you feel guilty for not joining them in their imbibing.