Trial reportJournal of substance abuse treatment2014
A preliminary, randomized trial of aerobic exercise for alcohol dependence.
Trial report in Journal of substance abuse treatment, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 110 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of exercise interventions on substance-use outcomes: A meta-analytic and systematic review.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Physical Activity on Sleep in Alcohol Users: A Systematic Review.Addiction biology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Exercise as a Useful Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Improve Physical Fitness in Individuals With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- The Benefits of Physical Exercise on Mental Disorders and Quality of Life in Substance Use Disorders Patients. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- Measurement of substance-free reinforcement in addiction: A systematic review.Clinical psychology review · 2019Pooled it
- Transcranial direct current stimulation associated with physical exercise can help smokers to quit smoking: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Effects of Acute Exercise on Affect, Anxiety, and Self-Esteem in Poly-Substance Dependent Inpatients.European addiction research · 2023Trial
- Reinforcing exercise to improve drug abuse treatment outcomes: A randomized controlled study in a substance use disorder outpatient treatment setting.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2020Trial
- The effect of exercise as adjunctive treatment on quality of life for individuals with alcohol use disorders: a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2019Trial
- Exercise as adjunctive treatment for alcohol use disorder: A randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2017Trial
- The Efficacy of Vigorous-Intensity Exercise as an Aid to Smoking Cessation in Adults With High Anxiety Sensitivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Psychosomatic medicine · 2016Trial
- From withdrawal to motivation: The feasibility, acceptability and early clinical benefits of adapted physical activity during inpatient alcohol withdrawal.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- Exercise (Wheel-Running) Reduces Chronic Alcohol-Induced Escalation of Drinking in Mice via Elevated BDNF-TrkB Receptor Activity.Research square · 2026Article
- Alcohol consumption: from biochemistry to behavior, health, and beyond.Frontiers in toxicology · 2026Review
- Utility of substance-free alternatives in treating and preventing harmful substance use: A narrative review of the translational research spectrum.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2025Review
- Design and rationale for a randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a lifestyle physical activity intervention for people with HIV and engaged in unhealthy drinking.Contemporary clinical trials · 2024Article
- Effects of a Two-Month Exercise Training Program on Concurrent Non-Opiate Substance Use in Opioid-Dependent Patients during Substitution Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Spirituality in Addiction Recovery: A Narrative Review.Journal of religion and health · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Interventions targeting physical activity may be valuable as an adjunct to alcohol treatment, but have been relatively untested. In the current study, alcohol dependent, physically sedentary patients were randomized to: a 12-week moderate-intensity, group aerobic exercise intervention (AE; n=25) or a brief advice to exercise intervention (BA-E; n=23). Results showed that individuals in AE reported significantly fewer drinking and heavy drinking days, relative to BA-E during treatment. Furthermore adherence to AE strengthened the beneficial effect of intervention on alcohol use outcomes. While high levels of moderate-intensity exercise appeared to facilitate alcohol recovery regardless of intervention arm, attending the group-based AE intervention seemed to further enhance the positive effects of exercise on alcohol use. Study findings indicate that a moderate intensity, group aerobic exercise intervention is an efficacious adjunct to alcohol treatment. Improving adherence to the intervention may enhance its beneficial effects on alcohol use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.