Music is a powerful tool in recovery and overall mental health. Listening to music can be a reprieve, and escape from things that are stressful or difficult, and offer words of comfort and hope to many people. If you are struggling with addiction or your recovery, sometimes you need to listen to songs from people who have been in your shoes.
Songs about Recovery from Addiction
You will find several songs in modern pop culture that have to do with overcoming addiction, the struggles that you face when dealing with addiction, and why it is important to get help when you need it.
Popular songs about overcoming your addictions include:
- One Day at a Time by Joe Walsh
- Sober by Demi Lovato
- Not Afraid by Eminem
- Old Ways by Demi Lovato
Other songs focus more on the individual struggles and challenges of addiction, like:
- Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- The A Team by Ed Sheeran
- Swimming Pools (Drank) by Kenrick Lamar
Some songs focus on the need to get help when you are struggling with addiction, and these include:
- Fallen by Sarah McLachlan
- Maybe It’s Time by SIXX:AM
So why is it important to listen to songs about recovery from addiction?
Why Music Matters
Listening to songs about recovery from addiction can help you reduce stress. It has psychological, physiological, and cognitive effects, making it more likely for you to deal with stress during your recovery or overcome feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Psychological Effects
Psychologically, listening to music, especially songs about recovery from addiction, can offer several benefits, like creating a safe space where you are able to escape from the things that might be overwhelming you.
These songs can also give you a sense of control over your environment when all other things seem far outside of it.
The lyrics associated with these songs can encourage positive emotions like hope and joy, distracting you from things that might be stressful or overwhelming and letting you know that people have been in your shoes before and they have come out successfully on the other end.
Physiological Effects
Physiologically, music has a direct correlation to your perception of time.
- Music with slower tempos can help you feel more relaxed and physically reduce your blood pressure or heart rate
Music can also release endorphins, which help reduce cortisol levels, bringing your stress down, boosting your mood, and naturally relieving any pain you might feel, which is very important when you are dealing with addiction.
If you’ve ever felt that live music was impacting your body, you are not wrong. Live music has the power to synchronize:
- Respiration rates
- Heart rates
- Skin conductance
So if you listen to songs about recovery from addiction in a live setting by cover bands or the original writer, you can experience what is called synchronization, the phenomenon that occurs in these social settings where listening to music actually helps you build greater empathy and better relationships through coordinated electrodermal activity as well as cardiac activation.
Listening to music on your own can actually improve your modified motor responses, with this type of synchronicity happening on an individual level. The more you listen to songs about recovery from addiction or songs that make you feel good when you are stressed and overwhelmed, the more likely you are to be open to new experiences and be more extroverted.
This can go a long way toward helping you not just feel better but build better social connections and avoid the isolation that is all too common in recovery.
Cognitive Effects
Songs about recovery can have several cognitive effects as well, not least of which is the ability to disrupt rumination.
If you are dealing with recovery, stress, or challenges, it can be easy to get stuck in negative thought patterns where you continue to ruminate on bad or stressful things. Listening to music can help pull you out of that state and shift your focus toward the sounds, the lyrics, and how it makes you feel.
Getting Support from Entera
If you are struggling with any part of your addiction or recovery, Entera provides holistic therapies, sober living facilities, and life coaching. We offer a unique combination of upscale sober living located in Palm Springs, combined with a luxury treatment center and comprehensive holistic care.
We are more than just a sober residence; we are a service that helps you improve mentally and physically, connecting you to the power of music therapy and other complimentary, holistic programs.
Call us today at 760.209.6683 to learn more.
