Music is a part of our time, our culture, and our lives in so many ways. We listen to more of it now than at any point in history. In fact, the average person now listens to around 32 hours of music per week! There are plenty of benefits to music in sobriety.
Music can actually help you on your road to living sober! The best part is, you can start enjoying the benefits of music today. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of music in sobriety.
The Benefits of Music in Sobriety and Your Recovery
Music is powerful, and it has the ability to transform or enhance your mood, among many other benefits. We take a look at music therapy for addiction treatment.
Lift Off Recovery takes a holistic approach, treating the mind, body, and spirit. We believe in the power of music, and here we take a look at why.
1. Music Benefits Your Brain
Music, as a whole, has massive benefits to brain health. Whether you’re listening to your favorite album or learning an instrument, music has a calming effect, improves your memory, and improves your mood.
Learning an instrument is known to have huge benefits for mental health, so organizations like Guitars For Vets help veterans with PTSD cope through music. The same logic applies to other mental illnesses like substance abuse disorder, depression, or anxiety.
If you’re learning an instrument, there’s a lot to know. Let’s stick with guitar as an example. Each string is 4 or 5 notes off from the next one, adding an extra challenge to learning to read music. Challenging your brain in this way provides an overall benefit to your mind, which helps with mental health issues that might lead to relapse or other complications.
2. Building Healthy Bonds
Music helps you interact with people. It’s one of the few things that can really bring everybody together because while music tastes may vary, almost everybody likes some music.
Whether you join a band, take lessons, or attend musical events, you’ll be introduced to a new culture. While these cultures were previously known for drug abuse, that isn’t the case as much anymore. There are thousands of local music scenes with sober events and people. Aim for community music events in the center of town, at your local coffee shop, or take professional lessons with a teacher!
Community outreach, building bonds, and meeting new people are important for living your best sober life!
3. Healthy Hobbies
Everybody on the road to recovery should have a hobby that keeps their mind challenged and occupied. Remember, you don’t have to learn an instrument or sing to enjoy music as a hobby. Music is simply a treat to us, and it can even be addictive in its own way.
Take yourself on a journey when you find music that you like. Sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy. If you’re into poetry or lyrical interpretations, this is an entirely new world to explore.
Listen to concept albums and soundtracks from the musical theatre if you’re into the story-telling aspect of music. Concept albums work together to tell one story or portray one concept, like “The Wall” from Pink Floyd or “The Black Parade” from My Chemical Romance.
If you enjoy this side of music, try writing poetry for yourself! Or even writing songs if you think you can swing it! If story-telling is your thing, you’ll have plenty to work with just from your road to recovery, let alone all of your other life experiences!
4. Motivation
If part of your recovery includes a regular exercise routine (which it absolutely should), music is an excellent way to stay motivated. If you really like trying out new bands or new albums, put a new one on and listen to it the whole way through when you’re at the gym or on the run.
It doesn’t have to be for exercise. If you have any hobby that you want to stay motivated for, listening to music is a great way to get more motivation and enjoyment out of it.
Music can even make daunting tasks enjoyable. What’s your least favorite chore? Let’s say it’s doing the dishes. In that case, leave a speaker or a smart device next to the sink and enjoy some music while you do it.
5. Nostalgia
You don’t want to do anything that will remind you of the bad times in your life, but music can serve as a great reminder of the good times in your life. The best part is that it’s never too late to start creating those memories.
When was your favorite period of your life? Did you have one great summer that you’ll never forget? Well, listen to the music you were into at that time to bring back some of those great feelings and make you long to create more of them.
Start today. Make an effort to make this next season the best of your life, and take the time to listen to some of your favorite music to remind yourself of these days later on!
6. Creating Music
Creating music can be a very expressive and rewarding activity, especially for those in recovery. The therapy causes emotions to come up that may be hard for people going through the recovery process to express.
Making music is a great way for people to express their raw emotions, giving them a healthy way to channel their thoughts and feelings. Creating music in itself is a therapeutic process.
7. Expression
Music can be used as a tool of expression. Listening, playing for others, or creating. Expressing yourself is extremely beneficial in recovery.
Allowing yourself to utilize music to show others how you truly feel if you can’t find the words to express yourself is super beneficial.
8. You Never Run Out
You know that feeling when you first hear a song that blows your mind? Well, we’re fortunate enough to live in a time where there’s more than enough great music to keep exploring and finding those wonderful songs for the rest of our lives.
More and more music will be coming out throughout the rest of your life, too. More and more bands and artists are popping up in the mainstream, the underground, and in local communities all the time. You’ll never run out of enjoyment.
Should You Use Music In Sobriety
While it may not be the only tool you need, you should absolutely enjoy music in sobriety if it’s what you like. Music is a great tool to help us relax, boost our brains, and enjoy the simple things in life. Do what makes you happy, keep up to date with our latest news for sober living, and find out how art therapy can benefit you in sobriety!
Contact Lift Off Recovery for Addiction Treatment in Anaheim Today!
We hope this article helped you see the benefits that music offers to those in recovery and looking for alternative ways to help them heal from their addictions.
If you or someone you know needs help, Lift Off Recovery is always here for you. Please, feel free to contact us today with any questions you may have.
