For many people struggling with addiction, it can be difficult to find the words when it’s time to talk in therapy. It can feel exhaustive and stressful to have to find a way to describe how we feel, and it can be one of the reasons someone isn’t comfortable trying to get help for an addiction. The use of art therapy in addiction treatment centers has become more common as we develop different ways to help people with their substance use problems. By giving people the opportunity to express themselves or what they’re feeling creatively, the hands-on activity can help them begin to heal, and it can open the door to constructive progress. Therapists and addiction specialists can even use different artistic mediums to teach different lessons.
While you’re in the midst of your treatment program, art therapy can be incredibly freeing for you, helping you overcome things you thought you would battle your whole life with. It can be the start of the self discovery you’ve needed to progress in your recovery. But once you step out of the treatment facility, ready to take on life and stay clean, is there still any use for art therapy and the tools you gain from it in your daily life? Absolutely.
One of the most obvious benefits of using art to express yourself is the relaxation and stress relief that often accompanies it. When you were trapped in addiction, your substance of choice was often the way you relaxed. Work stressing you out? Take a hit. Marriage problems? Have a beer or two. By focusing your energy on creating something with your hands, whether it’s a drawing, wood work, or digital painting, you’re being self aware; you can feel tension or stress, and you’ve decided to do something about it, rather than let it stew. The personal fulfillment that comes with finishing something you’ve poured any amount of time into boosts you from within, diminishing the need for a substance to feel better. It also gives you a safe place to think, without the risk of turning to drugs or alcohol, and simply make something while you work through things.
Art therapy, even outside of treatment, can be extremely useful in your recovery. It allows you to acknowledge and tap into whatever you’re feeling to create something from that emotion or thought without having to talk it out if you’re unable to.
We know how important the right treatment is for you. That is why at The Springboard Center, we are providing the best possible treatment programs for recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Serving the Permian Basin, our treatment center offers the comforts of home while providing quality clinical care. Call us today for more information: (432) 620-0255
