Pippa MyringBe it belting out the tunes in the shower, singing along to your favourite songs on a night out, showing off your talents (or not) at karaoke, or just singing along to your favourite tunes, singing often makes us feel happy. Either as a bit of catharsis, singing at the top of your lungs to vent some pent up frustrations, easing the boredom of long car journeys (and possibly that of the other motorists who can see you happily singing along to yourself), or just singing to yourself around the house, singing is great for releasing the endorphins.
Now, the benefits of singing are being brought into drug and alcohol recovery. Instead of more conventional treatments, such as counselling, group therapy, or medication, as part of a new program tackling addiction called Recovery, in which people detox and practice abstinence, a Liverpool choir are helping addicts to recover through the medium of song.
SHARP, the addiction recovery charity, which provides professional guidance to help individuals recover from drug and alcohol abuse, has formed the Raucous Caucus Recovery Chorus at the charities Liverpool center.
Available to those who have been sober for 24 hours, singing with the choir is part of the recovery treatment for these individuals, helping them to battle their addictions, find a positive sense of community, and rediscover a sense of joy in their lives.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics in 2010 revealed that there were 8,790 alcohol related deaths during that year, an increase from the previous year, with the majority of alcohol related deaths occurring in the North of England. Figures also revealed that 1,784 people died that year due to drug abuse, with heroin being the main drug responsible for drug poisoning deaths. Again, drug related deaths are higher in the North of England.
With heroin being the biggest killer when it comes to drug related deaths, news of the creation of potential heroin vaccine could be a huge breakthrough in drug addiction treatment. Having been successfully tested on addicted rats, a vaccine that prevents heroin from entering the nervous system, thus reducing the addictive effects of the drug, has been developed.
The next step is to test the vaccine on humans, and could be ready for use in treating addiction to heroin and other drugs within five years. Used alongside other treatment methods, such as psychiatric help, the vaccine could revolutionise drug addiction treatment.
Do you think York should introduce its own choir to help drug and alcohol addiction treatment? Do you think it would work? What do you make of the development of a heroin vaccine?
For help and advice on drug and alcohol abuse, follow the links below.
