Art therapy is a common therapeutic approach used in addiction treatment.
It’s usually led by a trained therapist who is licensed to help recovering addicts heal from the effects of addiction and learn how to best express their emotions. Art for recovery has the potential to positively impact a patient’s well-being by addressing and alleviating emotional and physical issues. Creating recovery art is also beneficial for helping patients express thoughts and emotions that may be difficult to express in words. As a Philadelphia addiction center that offers this therapy method, we’re sharing some cool art project ideas for addiction recovery that you can try at home.
Fun Substance Abuse Art Therapy Activities
For many people, creating art is a great way to relax and channel emotions that are difficult to understand. Art helps us make sense of confusing situations and thoughts that we may otherwise try to avoid. Below are some cool art project ideas for addiction recovery that you can try on your own or with a loved one.
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Fingerprints Heart Charm
You can make a heart-shaped charm out of two fingerprints. This is a lovely addiction art project to make with a spouse, close friend, or family member.
What You’ll Need:
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- Cold water
First, mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly add water while mixing until you get a mixture that has the consistency of playdough. Next, mold the dough until it’s shaped like a heart (you can make it as big or small as you want) and create the fingerprint impressions. Lastly, place the charm on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and place it in the oven at 250 F/ 120 C for 2 hours. Once it’s done, take it out of the oven, let it cool, and paint it.
Create an Album of Past and Recent Pictures
While this may seem like a simple craft, nothing solidifies the benefits of sober living than looking at pictures of yourself from the past. You may have plenty of photos from when you were an active drug addict or alcoholic. These could be pictures of yourself with friends or family members, and while they may seem happy on the surface, underneath it all, you were struggling with a big problem. A great way to remind yourself of the difference sobriety can make is by starting a photo album that contains pictures from your past and your present. While some memories can be painful, photographs also capture milestones in our lives that are important but can be easy to forget. Whenever you’re feeling down or struggling with something, you can look back at these pictures and be reminded of your accomplishments.
Start a Memory Box
Whether it’s a bottle cap or a movie ticket, even the smallest of things can take us back to great moments. These little memories can make a huge difference when you’re recovering from addiction. Just like negative memories can cloud our judgment and take hold of our emotions, positive memories can clear our confusion and remind us of the truly good things in life. A great way to not only create addiction artwork but to utilize it for your sobriety is by making a memory box.
You can build a small memory box out of wood, or you can buy a plain wooden box at a craft store and decorate it, either on your own or with your spouse, children, friends, or family. Use acrylic paint, stickers, polymer clay, glitter, and other crafty tools to decorate your memory box. Once you’re done, you can begin filling it with small knick-knacks that bring up good memories, like a movie ticket or dried flower. Keep collecting things until a year from the day you began. Once you’ve hit a year of collecting, you can look back at your memories.
Make a Mindfulness Bracelet
For many people who have undergone drug or alcohol addiction treatment, having a physical object to fiddle can help manage stress and anxiety, which are two of the most common causes of addiction. If you’ve ever heard of a fidget spinner, then you may understand how having a small object to pick at with your hands can help a person concentrate. Many addicts in recovery tend to struggle with anxiety, boredom, and restlessness because addictive behaviors are often fidgety and one-track-minded. Mindfulness bracelets or beads are excellent art project ideas for adults in recovery that can serve as enjoyable distractions from stress and worries.
You would just need a variety of beads that you like. These can be purchased at a craft store or taken from other pieces of jewelry. Sometimes it’s helpful to take or make beads from pieces of jewelry that belonged to a loved one. Then you need some string or cord. You can find specialty string, thread, and floss that are specifically made for keychains and bracelets. Once you have your supplies, measure how much string or cord that you’ll need. Wrap it around your wrist, cut the piece, and add the beads in a pattern you like. Be sure to leave some extra so you can easily tie off the bracelet.
There are plenty of other recovery art therapy ideas out there that you can enjoy. Sometimes it’s just as simple as picking up a pencil and drawing whatever comes to your mind. The beauty of art is that it’s flexible.
If you or someone you know is struggling with drug abuse or alcoholism, now is the time to get help. Call Banyan Treatment Centers Philadelphia now at 888-280-4763 for more information about our addiction treatment programs in PA.
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