Promoting Creativity in Addiction Recovery

While addiction recovery usually requires a medical detox and counseling sessions, a good treatment program won’t stop there.

Substance abuse is a large-scale problem that requires various means of treatment in order to see comprehensive and lasting results. While many people focus solely on proven medical practices, we also like to promote creativity in addiction recovery.

The Benefits of Creativity & Art in Addiction Recovery

Creative outlets are not only enjoyable but can also have many benefits. Especially for someone going through the trials and tribulations of early sobriety, creativity in addiction recovery can offer many great results.

Promotes The Expression of Emotions

Early recovery comes with a variety of both negative and positive emotions. Research suggests that there is also a connection between substance abuse and alexithymia, a person’s struggle to effectively identify and explain their emotion.¹ This can be problematic for someone in early recovery who may feel overwhelmed with emotions. Art therapy has been proven to promote recovery as patients find a way to express these emotions, especially if they are struggling to do so with words.²

Increased Self-Esteem

It is not uncommon for addicts and recovering addicts to struggle with their self-esteem. In fact, poor self-esteem is also likely a contributing factor to the development of a substance abuse problem.³ Studies show that art therapy increases self-esteem in its participants, especially when done regularly.⁴

Improved Mental Health

Addicts in recovery are often going through withdrawal that can leave them feeling agitated or upset. Many addicts also struggle with an underlying mental illness that may be contributing to their substance abuse problems. If they are not getting dual diagnosis treatment to address these issues, their problems will likely get worse. One way to help improve mood and a person’s overall mental health is through creative activities. Art therapy can improve depression, anxiety, mood, and overall quality of life compared to people who didn’t partake in it.⁵

Fill A Void

Drug and alcohol addiction can take over a person’s life, so when they go through recovery, they may feel an emptiness they want to fill. Creative outlets can become a new hobby as well as a healthy way to fill this void. Boredom is considered a common reason for relapse in recovering addicts, but a creative hobby could help prevent this.

Because of the many benefits of recovery through art, one of the addiction therapies and programs we offer at Banyan Boca is art therapy to promote recovery through art. This way, our patients can work toward complete healing during their sobriety journey and find ways to promote their continued progress outside of treatment.

If you or a loved one is looking for a comprehensive approach to overcoming a substance abuse disorder, the time is now.

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To get more details on our programs and our facility, reach out to us today at 888-280-4763.

Sources:

1. NCBI- Alexithymia and Addiction: A Review and Preliminary Data Suggesting Neurobiological Links to Reward/Loss Processing
2. Suzanne Haeyen- Art Therapy and Emotion Regulation Problems: Theory and Workbook
3. NCBI- The Role of Self-esteem in Tendency towards Drugs, Theft and Prostitution
4. NCBI- Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018—What Progress Has Been Made?
5. NCBI- Systematic review and economic modeling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders.