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A study conducted by staff at Cherry Orchard Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, reports that 91% of opioid users experienced relapse after being discharged from a drug addiction recovery facility that mostly utilized traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Though CBT did temporarily result in abstinence and recovery from the patients’ opioid abuse or reliance, most patients in the study were unable to maintain that abstinence. This failure is not limited to only this case, as a dissertation by Douglas Drake Johnson finds that “CBT is […] less effective for treating opioid […] dependence.”
If traditional CBT alone is less effective for opioid treatment, leading to worsened difficulty in quitting or higher probability of relapse, using less common methods of treatment together with traditional treatments like CBT can be much more successful in preventing relapse and encouraging abstinence. One medium for aiding recovery which is already heavily integrated into the majority’s daily life is music.
What is music therapy?
Music therapy may sound simple and self-explanatory, but it’s more than just listening to songs one enjoys. Instead, music therapy can include song or lyric writing and analysis, listening to music, playing an instrument, and more. Treatment typically combines these activities with guidance in relaxation, emotional awareness, and emotional regulation from a music therapist.
What makes music therapy effective?
According to a section in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, music therapy releases dopamine, reduces perceived pain levels and the need for pain medication, and reduces stress and anxiety. What makes opioids especially so addictive is their ability to release dopamine, their pain-remedying qualities, and the stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions that come with quitting. Music therapy has the power to effectively combat each of these addictive aspects of opioids, making it a great option for aid in recovery.
Additionally, as mentioned before, music is a major aspect in the daily lives of many. The tools one uses to participate in music therapy are very accessible and are already familiar to the user. Participating in music therapy does not require being in a specific location or large amounts of time like CBT does. Its accessibility therefore increases its effectiveness in preventing relapse and encouraging abstinence, as patients can conveniently practice it throughout ordinary days when the struggle against relapse can be the strongest.
While CBT is still an important treatment for opioid addiction, its diminished effectiveness calls for new and improved approaches to one’s recovery journey. By adding other therapies like music therapy that cover the faults of CBT, such as CBT being time consuming and inconvenient, it becomes much less likely that someone will land in the 91% of opioid users who relapsed after going through CBT.
Music therapy is only one of the effective unconventional treatments out there to help those with opioid addiction. It is important to know options beyond traditional CBT that are available.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
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