Can Sculpting Help People Overcome Addictions?
Contrary to what some people believe, you don’t have to be good with your hands to be a sculptor. It helps to have vision and a natural talent of course, but sculpting is about far more than just creating. It’s about achieving – and helping you to conquer all kinds of demons.
However, can it really help you conquer an addiction? The truth is it can, because in order to sculpt you have to focus on something other than yourself. It doesn’t matter what kind of material you are sculpting with or what you have in mind for the finished product. You could say even the finished product itself doesn’t matter – it’s the journey that counts. You’d be right in that last respect, especially when it comes to helping you beat whatever addiction you might have. It’s impossible to think about your addiction when you are using your hands and your mind to create something else.
Getting involved in a worthwhile project
If you have ever been involved in a project that really caught your attention, you’ll know how thoroughly absorbing it can be. It’s like reading a good book. You settle down to read a few pages, and before you know it the story has transported you to another place and perhaps even another time. If you’ve ever been caught up in a story like this and suddenly looked up, realizing you’re actually at home instead of in the story itself, you’ll know how powerful the connection can be.
The same holds true with sculpting. If you spend every waking moment fighting against your addiction, you’ll probably find you are focusing on it more than you are unaware of it. The very process of trying to beat it requires you to focus on it – and this can be enormously tiring even in the short term.
That’s why getting involved in art and sculpting enables you to make real progress. Not just as an artist or a sculptor (although you certainly will get better the more you do), but as an individual who is learning how to manage and beat their addictions.
How does this work in reality?
Let’s suppose you decide today is the day you will embark on your journey to beat your addiction. You know it will be easier to get assistance when it comes to beating your addiction, so you find a support group or treatment course near you. There are treatment centers in Virginia and every other place in the US, so you just have to explore the options near you and get the help you need. Once you have started on the road to beating your addiction, you can start looking for art or sculpture classes near you as well. These could be social gatherings or something more involved and intensive – choose a class that will suit you and your outlook. There are people with addictions to drugs and alcohol who attend classes in Virginia, California and every other location you could think of every single week. It provides something to look forward to and to focus on, and you might be surprised how effective it is in helping you focus on something other than the addiction you’re trying to leave behind.
You may even find your sculpture takes on the form of your fears or determination in facing your addiction head on. As soon as you start to focus on your project, you will be amazed at the change in how you feel. You will be creating something that is uniquely you. You can pour all your efforts and determination into it. When you see how easy it is to achieve something creative like this, you’ll take confidence from it and realize just how much you can do when you put your mind to it.
Sculptors get lost in the act of creation on a daily basis. Who is to say you cannot do the same? With so many advantages available to those who try it – especially when it comes to finding the power to beat addiction – it makes sense to make it a regular part of your life. When you do, you will see why other addicts have continued to enjoy creating art and sculptures as a regular part of their lives.
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