Music has a way of creatively expressing yourself through the lyrics and the tone of the song. There is always a story within the lyrics that audiences feel they can relate to and sympathize with. Artists have written songs either about their experience with drug use or someone else’s to better teach audiences about different experiences with struggle and recovery.
In the song Not an Addict by K’s Choice, the song starts out with how you breath the joint in and out and how joints do not last long which will cause an addict to want more and more. Then there’s the lyric “We’re so creative and so much more, We’re high above but on the floor” which describes what it feels like to get high. Then the person describes in the chorus their denial in how it does not feel like a habit to that person and that it is just a cool thing to do.
In the second verse, the person feels like when they stop using, everything feels meaningless. The most important lyric is “I’m not an addict (maybe that’s a lie)” because denial is common for those addicted but there is a part of them that knows they are lying to themselves. At the end of the song, the person is asking for help but at the same time still wants to keep using. She is at rock bottom but is still continuing to use. This song may not be an anti or pro drug song but is describing the mind of an addict which can let those in recovery know they are not alone.
Another song that describes the struggle of putting your life back together is Fallen by Sarah McLachlan. In the beginning, it sounds like she is describing the one of the twelve steps of searching for a Higher Power in the lyric “Heaven bend to take my hand and lead me through the fire.” She also talks about attempts of trying to do better but she got caught up in her addiction. She regrets turning down the good friends in her life and how “It’s the bitter taste of losing everything i’ve held so dear.” If her friends decide to forgive her, she does not want them to tell her that they told her so. This song is very relatable in that addicts need to discover their wrongdoings and see the damage themselves.
Castle Craig Hospital is a landmark of addiction and mental health treatment in Scotland, serving the UK, the EU, and patients from all over the world. Our commitment to long term abstinence has created a successful program of clinical and complementary therapies for mind, body, and spirit. Serving over 10,000 patients for more than 25 years, the Castle Craig model is proven in changing lives. Call our 24 hour free confidential phone-line for information: 01721 546 263. From outside the UK please call: +44 808 271 7500
