The #RecoveryMusicCampaign |Music and Addiction Recovery
**Disclosure: I received compensation from Recovery Unplugged for this sponsored post, any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.**
The #RecoveryMusicCampaign |Music and Addiction Recovery
Although I haven’t dealt with addiction recovery myself, my family is being affected by a family member that is currently undergoing treatment for her addictions. Having a relative, that is in a drug rehab center.
Addiction can start with alcohol which sadly is easy for high school students to get their hands on. It starts out as fun for most, but then there is the percentage of kids that start to rely on it for coping with their day to day life. Not all underage drinkers come from abusive families or bad home situations. They can look as normal as the next kid, and look like they have it all together and are happy. Then when alcohol isn’t enough to cover up their feelings it can lead to drug abuse, including prescription drugs. There are also the kids, ‘normally’ girls who resort to cutting when none of the other options are available.
As hard as it has been, and even harder to talk about, we have been affected by all of these addictions wrapped into one beautiful, wonderful person. Our family is close and so when one hurts; we all hurt in one way or another. It makes you wonder why with such an awesome immediate family, as well as an awesome extended family she has been going through this for the amount of time she has. She hid it well for quite a long time at such a young high school age. She always portrayed she was happy, that she was okay.
When it was discovered that it was happening, it seemed like normal ‘teenager’ things. The type of things that some teenagers do when they are trying to find themselves. Or the ‘normal’ acting out. But for her it was more than that. Trying to pretend you are happy when you are not can get tiring. Then on top of that trying to keep stories straight of where you are going, have been, and what you have been doing becomes too much. She has continued to resist help even though she is in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Some days are better than others, which brings us to wondering how long it will take until she can fully be back with us a healthier person with coping skills that can get her through her daily life.
Our family has gone through so many emotions during this time it’s unbelievable. My sister and my brother-in-law have had {insert some huge number here} sleepless nights, tears, worry and guilt since this all has started. Not seeing it sooner, not realizing that it was worse than they realized. My parents have shed many tears, worried every day, and continue to pray daily for her. Siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces miss her being a part of our life. We miss her at family gatherings, celebrations, and dinners. In all honestly it hasn’t been quite the same. Addiction affects not just the addicted but everyone that cares about them.
Since recovery affects everyone, I think music can play a very important part in coping with how you feel. There are encouraging songs, or even ones that make you cry. Either of these can be therapeutic depending on how you are feeling at that moment. There are many songs for different people, for different reasons. Although I have many this one has been one that gets me every time and helps me ‘deal’ with what has been going on.
Some of my favorite music to uplift me and give me hope comes from Rascal Flatts, Reba, just to name a few. Do you have any music that has helped you through something similar? If so please share it in the comments below.
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