What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to evaluate whether a single session of moderate-intensity exercise reduces alcohol craving and consumption in heavy social drinkers.

March 26, 2026Open Access

Walking away from alcohol urges: Pilot testing the efficacy of moderate-intensity exercise for reducing alcohol craving in heavy social drinkers

Key Points

The study aims to evaluate whether a single session of moderate-intensity exercise reduces alcohol craving and consumption in heavy social drinkers.
Participants completed a 20-minute moderate-intensity treadmill exercise or a colouring task after consuming an alcohol prime beverage.
Alcohol craving, wanting, and affect were assessed at multiple time points during and after the activities.
An ad libitum beverage task measured the amount of alcohol placebo versus water consumed.
Statistical analyses used Bayesian multilevel and zero-one-inflated beta models to evaluate the hypotheses.
Exercise significantly reduced alcohol craving and wanting during the activity compared to colouring (BF 10 > 18).
Participants in the exercise condition consumed less alcohol placebo than water, demonstrating a controlled craving response (BF 10 = 13.0).
Both conditions showed within-group decreases in craving post-activity, but minimal differences between groups.
Changes in affect were similar across both exercise and colouring conditions.

Abstract

• Tested if exercise reduces in-the-moment alcohol craving and consumption. • Exercise reduced alcohol craving and wanting during the activity. • Exercise was associated with lower consumption of an alcohol placebo. • Exercise is a tolerable strategy to manage alcohol urges in heavy drinkers. Exercise may be a feasible strategy to help control alcohol consumption, yet its impact on alcohol craving and drinking behavior in community samples of heavy social drinkers remains unclear. This pilot study tested whether a single, 20-minute bout of moderate-intensity exercise reduces in-the-moment alcohol craving, wanting, and consumption compared to a colouring distraction. Sixty-eight heavy social drinkers (ages 19–65) were randomized to 20 min of treadmill walking or colouring following consumption of an alcohol prime beverage designed to elicit craving. Alcohol craving (Alcohol Urge Questionnaire), wanting (Drug Effects Questionnaire), and affect (Positive Affect Negative Affect Scale) were assessed at post-prime, mid-activity, and post-activity time points. An ad libitum beverage task (proportion of alcohol placebo vs. water consumed) assessed alcohol consumption. Bayesian multilevel and zero-one-inflated beta models tested study hypotheses, with Bayes factors (BF 10 ) quantifying evidence strength. There was strong evidence that exercise reduced craving and wanting from post-prime to mid-activity to a greater extent than colouring (BF 10 > 18, posterior probabilities > 95%). By post-activity, both conditions showed within-group decreases, but between-group differences were minimal. During the beverage task, exercise condition participants consumed less alcohol placebo than water (BF 10 = 13.0), with weaker evidence for a similar association in the colouring group. Affect changes were equivalent across conditions. A single, moderate-intensity exercise session reduced alcohol craving and wanting during exercise and was associated with less placebo consumption than water. Exercise may offer a tolerable, low-cost strategy to reduce alcohol urges in heavy social drinkers.

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