The Benefits of Music Therapy in Addiction Recovery
You don’t have to have a musical background to reap the many benefits of music therapy. Music can help people who are recovering from addictions by:

Releasing pent-up emotions.
Drumming allows patients to channel energy spent worrying about their next substance fix into a safe activity that makes them feel calm and relaxed.

Increasing motivation.
The boost of feel-good energy brought on by group drumming can encourage people to successfully maintain their journey toward total sobriety.

Enhancing self-awareness.
Group Drumming helps you learn more about yourself –

Improving cognition and memory retention.
Studies have uncovered that group drumming for a period of time can improve your ability to focus, as well as recall facts or events.
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Promoting positive social interaction.
Group drumming is a great social bonding tool. Enjoying music with others around you can create stronger and longer-lasting friendships.

Supporting a healthy self image.
Engaging in Group drumming can promote a sense of creativity and accomplishment within oneself.

Decreasing anxiety and depression.
When you’re feeling down, drumming can bring about a change in mood. The drum is an instrument that is accessible and simple to learn.

Combining group drumming with Traditional Treatment Approaches
Music’s adoption into the addiction treatment realm dates back to the 1970s, when it was realized that it helped patients tap into complex emotions that were difficult to express through conversation alone.

In rehab, group drumming in conjunction with a patient’s treatment team to develop a program based on a client’s individual course of care. The drumming program can be tailored to meet a variety of the patient’s needs, from reducing anxiety to creating a deeper sense of self-understanding.

Examples of ways group drumming is incorporated into treatment include:

Reduces stress, tension and anxiety
Relieves chronic pain
Boosts the immune system
Promotes deeper awareness
Accesses the entire brain
Induces a meditative state
Encourages connectedness with others
Connects with a higher power
Releases negative feelings, emotions
Music improvisation

Studies have uncovered a number of ways in which group drumming impacts a patient’s recovery. For example, drumming engages the mind,body and soul and is shown to incite positive emotional change in rehab patients. Playing the drums has also been associated with relaxation, which has proven effective for patients who have experienced repetitive relapses into substance use.