Music Therapy For Drug And Alcohol Addiction

How does treatment utilize music therapy for drug and alcohol addiction?

Music therapy for drug and alcohol addiction involves using music with control by a qualified therapist. This individualized approach to treatment of addicts starts with establishment of treatment goals. Treatment plans for music therapy may include creating music or just listening to the art form.

What are the benefits of using music therapy for drug and alcohol addiction?

Music therapy has long been used for treatment of various health and psychological conditions. Documented benefits include:

• Reduction of stress through encouragement of the relaxation response
• Lowering of blood pressure
• Lessening of depression symptoms
• Improvement of communication abilities
• Better coping with anxiety
• Creation of a meditative state in the listener
• Improvement of concentration
• Enhancement of optimism
• Boost of the immune system
• Reduction of muscle tension
• Better coping with pain
• Reduction of loneliness
• Reduces boredom
• Increase in spirituality
• Release of emotions
• Aid in overcoming addictions

While music therapy is not enough to fully treat addiction on its own, addicts do benefit from music therapy for drug and alcohol addiction as part of a treatment program. Those benefits include:

• Creation of music helps purge negative emotions
• Music reduces stress, in turn helping to prevent relapse
• Boredom relief toward reduction of that trigger for drug use
• Alleviation of loneliness inherent in recovery
• Music can introduce addicts to meditation as a coping tool
• Listening to music helps improve concentration, a casualty of drug addiction that must be regained
• Music alleviates depression associated with recovery