Cocaine overdose is a serious risk in Australia, potentially leading to severe side effects or death. This article discusses the signs of overdose, associated risks, and emergency response actions.

Exercise is a good thing, to be sure. It boosts energy, mood, and confidence and is integral to maintaining overall health. But for some, commitment to working out can turn into a dangerous obsession that results in injury and disrupts relationships. Here is how to tell an exercise addiction.
Is exercise addiction (EA) a “real thing”?
Yes, it is real, and millions of people around the world suffer from it daily.
Exercise addiction is a condition where you continue to work out compulsively despite the negative consequences to your physical health, relationships, and social life.
In other words, it’s an unhealthy obsession with physical fitness.
When you’re addicted to exercising, you may find yourself exhibiting any of the following signs of EA:
Don’t get us wrong: exercise has some incredible benefits. It helps tremendously with recovery, and it’s proven to improve mental and physical health. But a negative relationship with exercise comes with severe health risks.
The negative effects of exercise addiction include anxiety and depression, the development of eating disorders, irreversible damage to bones and muscles, heart health risks, and problems with friends, family, and partners.
Don’t worry, exercise addiction is a treatable condition. With the right education, therapy, and lifestyle changes, you can have a healthy relationship with working out just like you used to.
To find out if you’re addicted to working out, ask yourself this question: Am I obsessed with working out to the point that it’s causing problems in my life such as:
How do you feel if you miss a run or a gym session? Do you want to scream, shout, and smash your laptop, or are you fine with just making it up tomorrow?
Behavioural addictions are defined by a compulsion to perform a behaviour, an inability to control yourself, and continuing to perform the behaviour despite its harmful consequences.
If you just like going to the gym every day, you’re probably fine. If you HAVE TO go to the gym every day or else you become a raving lunatic, you might have a problem. And we suggest you read on to learn more about the condition, its symptoms, and treatments.
Exercise addiction is a behavioural disorder where you feel compelled to exercise excessively, even when it harms your physical health, relationships, or daily life.
Addictive exercise involves exaggerated training volume and a loss of control, where you can’t reduce your workout habits, even if you want to.
Exercise addicts are obsessed with fitness to the point that it consumes their lives. For example, an addict may have several gym memberships and multiple coaches, and find themselves constantly pushing themselves every day into more and more dangerous workouts.
Working out is great for the body and mind, but if you’re doing it too often, too intensely, or to the detriment of your professional life or personal relationships, it is problematic.
People with EA might push through injuries, skip recovery periods, or become anxious when they miss a workout. Over time, this compulsive behaviour can lead to negative outcomes like physical exhaustion, chronic injuries, isolation from social activities, and strained relationships.
Despite these harmful effects, the person feels unable to stop.
And it’s more common than you might think in Australia.
According to one study published in the National Library of Medicine entitled “Exercise addiction: A narrative overview of research issues” by Weinstein, Aviv et. al., compulsive exercise affects about 3% of the adult population.
The symptoms of exercise addiction share some similarities with other addictions such as isolation, lying to others, mental health issues, and an inability to control yourself or stop despite wanting to.
Exercise is a problem when you do it to excess in a manner that causes problems to your body, mind, and personal life. A study by Juwono, ID and Szabo, Attila published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction in 2021 put it perfectly:
“Exercise addiction (EA) is a dysfunctional behaviour characterised by exaggerated training, loss of control over exercise behaviour, and negative life consequences that could be physical, psychological or social, or a combination of the three”
The symptoms of exercise addiction are included in the following list:
If you’re experiencing any of these withdrawal symptoms, it’s a clear sign of exercise addiction:
Working out is supposed to make you feel good. If you’re experiencing any of these withdrawal symptoms, you should seek help immediately. They will not go away on their own (usually) without treatment.
Exercise can be addictive because it triggers the release of chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins and dopamine, which produce feelings of pleasure and well-being. This is very similar to why drugs and alcohol are so addictive as well. In that sense, working out is the exercise addict’s drug of choice.
Addicts engage in physical activity to release these “feel-good” chemicals and get that instant reward.
The result?
The endorphins and dopamine reinforce the behavior and make you want more and more of it.
Before you know it, you’re hooked.
Over time, your brain starts to crave these sensations, just like it would with other addictive substances.
In addition to the brain’s reward system, exercise can also serve as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, depression, or other underlying emotional issues. It becomes an escape—a way to release tension and avoid dealing with emotional challenges.
This is the paradoxical nature of addiction: What starts as a coping mechanism that “improves” your life eventually becomes the reason that your life is unmanageable.
The causes of exercise addiction are similar to the causes of other behavioural disorders, and risk factors include co-occurring disorders such as ADHD, OCD, impulsivity, and a history of addiction in yourself or your family members.
Some of the main causes of exercise addiction that you need to be aware of include:
The difference between healthy exercise and exercise addiction is still not clearly defined. It is a very complex issue with multiple factors at play.
For example, is an Olympic athlete training for her first Olympic marathon “addicted” to working out because she trains 6 hours a day. Probably not.
Or is a guy who loves to be in the gym 2-3 hours every day after work an addict because he likes being in great shape? Not exactly.
The truth is that exercise becomes a problem when it starts causing problems in your life and you can’t stop despite wanting to. If you’re going to the gym to stay in shape, relieve boredom, make social connections, and enjoy the health benefits, then it’s more than fine – it’s GREAT.
But when exercise is no longer about being healthy and instead becomes a compulsive habit that you must perform in order to feel good, avoid withdrawals, and satisfy a craving, and this habit is leading to negative consequences in other areas of your life, then it is a problem.
Remember, addiction is characterised by negative consequences, loss of control, and an inability to stop even when wanting to. If you’re experiencing injuries, interpersonal problems, reduced performance at work or school, and mental health side effects due to working out (or missing a workout), then there’s a good chance you are addicted to exercising.
Unhealthy exercising habits cause a number of harmful side effects ranging from minor aches and pains to eating disorders, malnutrition, and social isolation.
In general, the negative consequences of exercise addiction encompass the addict’s physical, mental, social, and professional health, and should be addressed in treatment (we will cover these next).
The negative side effects of exercise addiction are:
Exercise addiction can cause you to injure yourself due to misuse, overexertion, and ignoring your body’s need for rest. Signs to look for include constant pain, soreness, or worsening injuries that don’t heal (stop skipping rest days!). And worse, addicts tend to push through these warning signs, which leads to even more severe injuries. The link between exercising through pain and exercise addiction is undeniable.
One study published in Sports Sciences for Health in 2022 entitled Exercise Addiction, pain and Injuries in Amateur Athletes found that athletes who reported pain had much higher scores on the Exercise Addiction Inventory questionnaire.
Excessive training can cause rapid and unhealthy weight loss. If you notice a dramatic decrease in weight, or you’re exercising more to maintain a very low body weight, it may indicate a problem. Severe weight loss is dangerous and is associated with malnutrition, organ failure, and even death.
Individuals suffering from exercise addiction often develop comorbid eating disorders due to an obsession with controlling their weight or body shape. We often see clients who suffer from exercise addiction also struggle with anorexia, binge eating, or bulimia. This is because EA and eating disorders are both rooted in the same underlying issue: An obsession with body image and perfectionism. Signs you have an eating disorder include restrictive eating, counting calories obsessively, or using exercise to “make up” for food intake.
When you’re addicted to exercise, you’ll do anything to get a workout in, and that often requires skipping social functions. This obsession over fitness often leads to social isolation, since you prioritise working out over everything else (just like drug addicts do). If you find yourself avoiding friends, family, or social gatherings because of your workout routine, it could be a sign. This isolation can worsen feelings of loneliness and damage important connections in your life.
Exercise addiction can strain relationships, especially when workout routines take priority over spending time with loved ones. If you’re frequently cancelling plans, arguing about your exercise habits, or your partner feels neglected, these are clear signs. Many of our clients in Sydney often require marriage counselling or family therapy in addition to treatment for EA because of how they’ve neglected their families and partners.
Exercise addiction can increase anxiety, depression, or feelings of guilt when a workout is missed. You might notice heightened irritability, mood swings, or using exercise to cope with emotional issues. According to one study in Addictive Behavior Reports and published in The National Library of Medicine entitled Mental disorders in individuals at risk for exercise addiction – A systematic review, individuals at risk of EA exhibited higher rates of at least one mental disorder, anxiety being one of them.
When training becomes all-consuming, it often affects performance at work or school. You may find yourself tired, distracted, or unable to focus because of fatigue or preoccupation with workouts. This drop in productivity or engagement can lead to further stress and negatively impact your career or academic progress.
Process addictions like exercise addictions can be hard to spot in yourself or a loved one. If you believe your exercise obsession is taking over your life, contact us today to find out how we can help.
The treatments for exercise addiction centre around exploring the reasons why you are dependent on exercise, and trying to help you understand them better so that you can replace them. Depending on your circumstances, you may also receive medication or a mix of therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and one-to-one counselling.
The most common interventions for exercise addiction are:
Here at our outpatient clinic in Sydney, we’ve helped countless Australians recover from exercise addiction (and other behavioural addictions) using a mix of therapy, medication, and aftercare.
We understand that treating EA is NOT easy. You shouldn’t have to cut exercise completely out of your life, but it can’t go on this way forever either.
You can live a happier life with a healthier relationship with exercise by speaking to our trained counsellors on your time. And you might not even have to miss work – we can work around your schedule.
Many of our patients claim they feel better after just a few sessions. At the very least, give us a call for more information. Your initial consultation is free and we can get back to you within 24 hours, usually less.
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