“You get that craving and you go for a half-hour run”: Exploring the acceptability of exercise as an adjunct treatment for substance use disorder

Abstract

IntroductionThere is a need for effective, inexpensive and scalable interventions in the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). An adjunct intervention that warrants exploration is exercise. ObjectiveTo examine the acceptability of exercise as an adjunct treatment for individuals in residential treatment for SUD. The secondary objective is to guide exercise intervention development for this population. MethodsAfter an acclimatization period where the first author spent four weeks volunteering at the treatment facility, semi-structured interviews were conducted with adult individuals (mean = 38.93, range 23–58) with SUD in residential treatment (n = 15) to assess the acceptability of exercise as an adjunct treatment. A thematic analysis was conducted using deductive and inductive methods. The interview guide and analysis were informed by the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation- Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). ResultsExercise was considered an acceptable adjunct treatment for SUD. Three themes were identified as prudent for informing intervention development. Participants were 1) receptive to exercise but some lacked the knowledge and skills to participate; 2) aware of opportunities to exercise but these are often underutilized, and 3) looking ahead to life after treatment. ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the acceptability and receptiveness of residential SUD treatment to exercise programming. Our results provide direction for developing an exercise counselling intervention embedded within the residential treatment context.