How Exercise Helps Moderate Brain Damage Caused by Drinking

• Physical exercise may help protect against some of the brain damage caused by drinking.
• Among chronic drinkers, those who were the most physically active had less damaged white matter -- the connective "wiring" of your brain's communication system -- in their brains compared to those who were less active.
• One of the risks of chronic heavy drinking is that it speeds the shrinkage of key regions in your brain; exercise is also useful in this area, as research has shown that people who engaged in the most physical exercise showed the least amount of brain shrinkage.
• Exercise may also help to lessen cravings for, and dependence on, alcohol, as the rewarding feeling you get from exercise provides you with a suitable alternative to the rewarding feeling you previously got from alcohol.

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