The Role of Music Therapy in Treating Alcohol Use Disorder

There’s an iconic scene in Friends when Ross plays his keyboard, pouring out emotions in what sounds like a chaotic mix of discordant notes. While his friends might have cringed (us included), music can be a form of expression and release. It’s a reminder of how deeply music can affect us, whether it’s helping us process our emotions, bringing out our inner creativity, or lifting our spirits.

But what if music could do even more? Music, when combined with therapeutic techniques in a practice known as music therapy, can play a pivotal role in recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD). Let’s explore how music therapy taps into our emotional power, helping guide us toward a healthier, alcohol-free life. 

What Is Music Therapy?

According to Kenneth E. Bruscia, a professor at Temple University, music therapy is “a reflexive process wherein the therapist helps the client to optimize the clients’ health, using various facets of music therapy experience and the relationships formed through them as the impetus for change.” In short, music therapy is a holistic treatment that utilizes therapeutic techniques and musical expression to improve all facets of our life including our physical, mental, and social health.

Music therapy has widespread benefits to our health (which we’ll get into later) by modulating five main factors: 

• Attention. Music captures our attention, shifting focus away from negative emotions and thoughts. Have you ever sat in traffic, fuming that someone cut you off? But then your favorite song comes on and all of a sudden you’ve forgotten all about it? Music therapy can be a positive distraction. 
• Emotion. Research shows that music activates the areas of the brain that control our mood and emotions. This explains why music can be beneficial in boosting our mood and reducing stress and anxiety. 
• Cognition. Producing music involves so many areas of our brain. We may need to stimulate our creativity, practice our memory when recalling a melody, and exercise our coordination when using different instruments. Even just listening exercises different cognitive functions, as it stimulates memories and engages the brain.
• Behavior. Through modulating our emotions, music can also affect our behavior, such as increasing our motivation to do something or overcome a fear. Just like expressing difficult thoughts and emotions verbally can give us the mental fortitude to overcome certain challenges, music can also evoke expression and promote positive change.
• Communication. Music is a form of communication. We can express our thoughts and emotions nonverbally through improvisation and different musical forms.

Due to its all-around approach, the practice is used to treat a variety of symptoms and conditions, one of which is AUD. To understand why, let’s first learn more about what recovery from AUD looks like.

Overcoming Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorder often involves physical and neurological dependence on alcohol. This means that when we commit to recovery, we may experience physical challenges such as withdrawal symptoms and health complications from alcohol-related disease or damage. 

Our brain also needs to adjust to not being exposed to the same level of alcohol. This is why recovery can be mentally and emotionally challenging. We’ll need to face the root causes of our drinking, identify triggers, and sever our dependence. In recovery, we commonly experience things like sleep disturbances, mood fluctuations, anxiety, and depression. Overcoming AUD means getting through these challenges. But it doesn’t happen overnight and without us putting in the work. Let’s see how we can equip ourselves to handle the challenges of recovery by using music therapy. 

Healthy Harmony: Music Therapy For Addiction Recovery

Music therapy works hand-in-hand with recovery to address different aspects of our health:

• Emotional. Alcohol wreaks havoc on our emotional health, but in recovery, when our brain is adjusting to not having the same amount of alcohol, we can still experience many emotional challenges. Music therapy can help us navigate these difficult emotions and explore the root causes of our drinking.
• Mental. Music and recovery work together because music can boost our mood, calm us down, and inspire us. Music therapy, which combines creative expression with therapeutic techniques, can have an even greater influence on our mental health. Research shows that music therapy can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and foster mental resilience. It also boosts cognitive function by exercising our focus, memory, and critical thinking. 
• Physical. Music therapy not only reduces stress mentally but also physically. Some evidence suggests music intervention may reduce inflammation, which chronic drinking causes. Plus, our mind and body are connected, so music therapy’s positive influence on our mental well-being also affects our physical health. For example, the practice help us develop positive coping mechanisms, which in turn helps us develop healthy habits such as exercising and balanced eating, all of which improve our health further. 
• Social. One component of music therapy is working on communication. This helps us understand more about ourselves and also build positive relationships with others.

By addressing specific challenges that arise when we quit or cut back on alcohol and helping us develop strategies to live a healthier lifestyle, music therapy can be a supportive tool in recovery. 

Benefits of Music Therapy

Music therapy works on different aspects of our health and recovery, leading to many benefits. There’s much to look forward to:

• Having an additional method of expression
• Navigating and overcoming difficult thoughts and emotions
• Decreasing alcohol cravings 
• Boosting motivation 
• Improving our mood 
• Reducing stress 
• Having a positive distraction 
• Improving cognitive function 

This approach to recovery has so many benefits, but there are even more tools at our disposal. Check out other holistic approaches to recovery and join Reframe’s supportive community to connect with others who may be going through a similar experience!

Tuning Into Recovery

Music therapy offers more than just a tune to hum along to (although that can be healing in itself!). It provides a powerful pathway to healing for those struggling with AUD. By tapping into the emotional and psychological depths that other approaches may not be able to reach, music therapy can create a supportive rhythm for recovery. Let’s embrace the power of music to find harmony in sobriety!