Addiction is a serious chronic disease that is difficult to treat, and which can cause problems throughout an individual’s entire lifetime. The actual addiction can be to a substance or a behavior, as long as it creates the cycle of addiction. Anyone who is suffering from addiction feels the effects in every area of life and will have trouble dealing with day-to-day activities.
Drug and alcohol addiction affects sufferers physically, emotionally, psychologically, socially and spiritually. In order to recover, it will be necessary to find a way to get through the difficult beginnings of recovery and find a new, rewarding way of living. A successful treatment plan will need to include help with physical addiction, if necessary, and therapy so individuals can work through their problems and learn to be happy, productive members of society.
Using Music as a Therapy for Substance Abuse
Even people who have no musical talent can enjoy it on a deep level. There are sayings which help explain the influence of music, like “Music calms the savage beast” and “Where words fail, music speaks.” Here are some of the important ways music can be used as therapy in addiction recovery:
- Patients can learn to channel energy from emotions they have pent up, perhaps for their entire lives. Instead of taking out anger or sadness by acting out, people in recovery can learn to use music therapy to heal themselves and even discover emotions they didn’t realize they were feeling.
- One important skill that can help people recover is meditation. The right kind of music can help someone block out the distractions of the world, clearing the mind and finding inner peace and happiness. Many people also feel more fulfilled when applying this practice to their spiritual lives.
- Other kinds of music can be great for increasing motivation. Everyone has a favorite scene from a movie or memory that brings out the feeling that you can conquer anything. On a purely physical level, you can motivate yourself to a higher level of physical activity, while you get yourself back in shape after years of neglecting your health.
- Memory has been shown in many studies to increase cognitive functions. You don’t just feel smarter; listening to music can help you improve in skills like remembering facts or solving problems.
- Music simply makes you feel good. Listening to music, singing, and playing an instrument is fun and enjoyable, even when you don’t consider the other benefits.
- When combined with an addiction program, music can be used as an integrative therapy. Patients can write songs that express ideas and emotions they need to get out, and drumming can help with discipline and relaxation. Instead of becoming lonely or bored, patients learn to use music for inspiration and motivation. Meditation can be integrated into the recovery program, and you can even use it to distract yourself from other unpleasant feelings like hunger. It is important to learn how to live without giving in to impulses right away.
Find Recovery at a Creative-Focused Drug Rehab
A treatment center can offer inpatient or outpatient services. Intensive addiction recovery works well if it is inpatient because it gives the patient a way to get away from familiar people and situations and get comfortable with finding a new way to live. Going to a place further away can help with that and with any discomfort you might feel at the idea that people will know who you are and what you are trying to achieve.
In order to ensure the safety of the patients, a physician should be available to assist with detox or other physical issues, including possible medication prescriptions. There should also be the kinds of therapies and treatments that will help each patient start working on issues in every area of life affected by the addiction. Each person will have different circumstances and will need to have a recovery program tailored to meet his or her individual needs.
Let Creo Spero Inspire You to Find Your Path to Recovery
When you go into recovery, you can re-write the soundtrack of your life. Utilizing all the principles of music therapy, you can become the best you that you can be. By choosing a music-based treatment center, you will be able to surround yourself with positive inspiration in every aspect of your new way of life.
Creo Spero, formerly known as Sublime Recovery, is a full-service drug and alcohol treatment program in Santa Ana, Orange County, CA that offers a safe place to detox along with both short and long term treatment options. What makes Creo Spero unique is how we incorporate music and art into our treatment options, giving our clients a way to deal with life in the most pleasant way possible. If you or a loved one could benefit from music centered therapy, don’t hesitate to call 1-949-259-5212 today.
