If you’re still relatively new to the world of sobriety, you might be surprised when you realize how much free time you now have on your hands. All the empty hours you once spent getting your hands on your next dose and using your substance of choice may leave you feeling like there is a yawning void in your life.
Finding a creative hobby is tremendously beneficial for recovering addicts. Not only does it give you an outlet for filling your free hours, but activities like painting, writing or learning a musical instrument can support your lifelong sobriety.
Benefits of Creative Expression in Recovery
At our accredited addiction treatment facility in New Mexico, our therapy team encourages our clients to express themselves creatively because we have seen them succeed with this approach. There are a variety of reasons to explore your creativity.
1. Creativity Supports Your Health
Pursuing recovery means committing to restoring your mental and physical health. Creativity can make you healthier by improving your mood and reducing your stress, helping you find stability. The act of creating something, whether it is a sculpture, a poem or a song, can relax you and give you something positive to focus on. It may also renew your sense of purpose in life, which you may have lost sight of while you were struggling with the darkness of addiction.
2. Creativity Gives You a Constructive Use of Free Time
Life in an addiction recovery program provides you with a strict routine. Once you exit treatment, you may find yourself struggling with a lack of structure in your life. Having a creative form of escape can be a much-needed distraction that helps prevent you from giving into cravings.
3. Creativity Helps You Work Through Difficult Emotions
While expressing your creativity in addiction recovery can be fun, it may also help you move past any trauma and negativity in your past. If you are struggling to express yourself emotionally, journaling about your feelings can be amazingly cathartic. For example, researchers studied a group of people who had recently experienced the challenge of job loss. Those who wrote about their feelings were able to bounce back and seek new opportunities more quickly.
4. Creativity Makes You Better at Other Life Skills
There is also some evidence to suggest people who fuel their creativity may become more proficient in other aspects of their lives, as well. One study of employees in non-creative jobs who sought out activities like writing and art showed improved job performance and more resilience against stressful events.
5. Creativity Can Help You Make New Friends
Activities like taking a pottery class or singing in a local choir gives you the opportunity to meet a new sober support group. You may have learned skills in rehab that help you manage cravings when they arise, but finding friends outside your addiction recovery community can also be valuable, especially if you have had to let go of people you know who are still actively drinking or using drugs. Your sober supporters can help pick you up when you’re feeling down and encourage you to stay motivated on your recovery journey.
Change Is Possible. We Help You Get There.
At Vista Taos Renewal Center, we provide lifesaving addiction treatment services for adult men and women who have substance misuse issues around substances including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and prescription drugs. To reclaim your life, contact us today to explore our services and amenities.
