Drug Rehab Facilities Use Soccer to Help Clients Stay Sober

A network of California drug rehab facilities has used physical activities to enhance the success rates for the clients who are trying to quit drinking alcoholically or abusing drugs.  The latest and most popular physical activity program is the Sober Living by the Sea soccer team.

Sober Living by the Sea is a network of drug rehab centers in Newport Beach California that has long been using fun activities to help clients learn how to enjoy life while sober.  Not only are there cultural, social, and spiritual outings (like to museums, botanical gardens, arts festivals, and optional church visits), but there is a high emphasis placed on physical activities – like surfing, working out at a gym, taking a dance class, or hiking.  These activities encourage  individuals in recovery to set and achieve goals, which builds confidence and a feeling of self-control. The powerful sense of accomplishment that comes from learning new skills and achieving goals is crucial to a recovering addict’s emotional and physical growth. For the first time, the addict may say to himself, “I’m not powerless anymore.”

The Soccer team plays every week in nearby Irvine and integrates into a local league that is made up of teams of peopole who are part of a local company, a social club, or just made up of people who want to play soccer.  Sober Living by the Sea's clients get the benefit of participating in an activity without drugs or alcohol and seeing lots of other people who are doing the same and enjoying themselves.  The team is called "Ohana" which is Hawaiian for "family" and the competition doesn't even know that the players on Ohana are made up of clients from a local drug rehab facility.

Minimizing the Risk of Relapse

Enjoying a life of sobriety greatly decreases a person’s chances of relapsing and returning to old behavior patterns. Numerous research studies have shown a strong association between daily exercise and long-term abstinence from drugs or alcohol. Studies also suggest that aerobic exercise can improve symptoms of depression, a common risk factor for relapse.

A Brown University study, conducted in the late 1990s by Dr. Bess Marcus of the university’s Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, evaluated the effects of exercise on 281 healthy but sedentary females who were trying to quit smoking. The women who participated in an exercise program were twice as likely to become and remain smoke-free as the women who didn’t exercise.

Dr. Marcus also completed a study that tracked 44 alcoholics in outpatient treatment, discovering that 12 weeks of aerobic conditioning increased the likelihood that they would remain sober. Researchers pointed to similarities in the effects on the reward pathways of the brain’s limbic system (particularly dopamine activity) as the reason for the association between exercise and sobriety.

Coping with Stress

Activities like soccer emphasize awareness and reverence for the body as well as relaxation, patience, and focus. Participating in these types of activities help recovering addicts cope with stress and avoid relapse. For recovering addicts who feel restless, anxious, irritable, impulsive, or unable to self-soothe, simple breathing and relaxation techniques can provide immediate relief. Physical activity can also restore an addict’s appreciation for and confidence in what his body can do when free from the influence of drugs or alcohol.

For others, physical activity is a new way to experience the thrill of living life on the edge. From snowboarding and surfing to adventure sports, recovering addicts can enjoy an exhilarating rush of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine – chemical messengers that trigger the pleasure center of the brain. The natural high brought on by healthy activities can be an excellent way to cope with stress and difficult emotions. In addition, these activities are fun ways to fill the time that would’ve been reserved for using drugs or drinking.

Sober Living by the Sea has been offering daily physical activities like softball, basketball, running, golfing, yoga, surfing classes, and gym visits for over twenty years and this is one of the reasons the rehab facility has enjoyed very high success rates in helping people overcome addiction.