Title : The mutual enhancing effect of music and drugs in the lives of people coping with substance use disorder and its rehabilitative implications
Abstract:
Substance craving may be triggered in people recovering from substance use disorder when listening to the same music genres they had listened to during active addiction. Given the limited research on the topic, the current study examined how the combination of music and drugs facilitate substance use among people with substance use disorder during their active addiction and the role of music during this period. The study was conducted with the phenomenological method using semi-structured interviews with 36 non-active addicts. Content analysis was employed to reveal themes and sub-themes regarding participants’ views on the role and meaning of music during their active use. Interview analysis revealed two main themes. The mutual enhancing effect theme relates to participants’ utilization of music in service of the drug and vice versa. This mutual enhancing effect had an impact on sharpening sensory capacity and the mood participants wanted to amplify or evoke. The full addiction and music theme relates to a timepoint during active use, when music ceased to be relevant, and drugs dominated the entire experience. Participants reported spiraling downward into their abuse, seeking seclusion and feeling lonelier and more depressed. The ability to develop tolerance to musical triggers seems crucial for rehabilitation, as music is fundamental for human life and cannot be completely avoided outside residential treatment. The current study calls policy makers in the field of substance use disorder treatment to incorporate music therapy in treatment programs, educating clients how to manage their musical triggers.
Audience Take Away Notes:
- The presentation will benefit therapists in better understanding how to help people suffering from substance use disorder using music and the role music may play in facilitating their substance use.
- It will provide a deeper meaning to the role music has in the lives of people with substance use disorder.
- The study will enable a fundamental understanding of the combined effects of music and narcotics during active addiction.
- Through this study people will understand the significance music has, not only in contributing towards substance use, but also how it serves as a vital factor in maintaining and helping addicts from further spiraling down into their active addiction.
