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Post by 1dayatatime on Dec 13, 2007 19:05:35 GMT -5
Does anyone here use playing and practicing a musical instrument as part of their recovery plan? If so, I'd like to hear about your experience. I am thinking of resuming my banjo playing. Boy am I a strange one. I'm a Jewish banjo playing rocket scientist posting on a P addiction board. Oy gevelt.  |
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Post by addict70 on Dec 13, 2007 19:18:48 GMT -5
I play keys, well badly, but I hardly qualify as recovered. One of my motivations in breaking my P addiction is all that pent up energy will release itself creatively (I hope). For a few hours last night to keep myself occupied I just made some horrendous noise on them until the neighbors started pounding on the wall. They're just too crude to appreciate my symphonic genious.
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Post by LookingUp on Dec 13, 2007 22:09:43 GMT -5
It would seem to me that any musical or creative endeavour or even hobby would be a great way to focus onto things you enjoy that bring life and vitality rather than white knuckling to avoid behavior you don't want. Plus, it would seem music could eventually be a way to create new friendships and new self-respect that the addiction tried to rob from you. As a kid, Mom use to command me to go play one of my musical instruments when I was in a bad mood because I could emote without getting on her nerves so much - making music is still a great way for me to express emotions until I'm ready to discuss them. I found myself parenting the same way - as both boys seemed to calm themselves through the expression of music, especially writing music for my youngest son (the tuba player).
Is there an issue with being a banjo strumming, Jewish, rocket scientist who's overcoming PA? Sounds like an interesting diversity to me.
Off topic: What's your opinion of the new crown for the high priest? From a non-Jewish perspective, I think it's pretty awesome and I'm really excited that temple worship is apparently in the process of preparation to happen again. It's like viewing prophecy coming to pass and I'm overjoyed.
LookingUp
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Post by freespirit on Dec 14, 2007 1:21:42 GMT -5
One of the things I feel that porn has really stolen from me is the music I used to play on my guitar. There's only so many hours in the day and if you use them on porn, you're missing a lot of other great experiences. Personally, I've always found guitar to be an enjoyable escape, stress-reliever. You might benefit a lot from playing the banjo, so what could it hurt?
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Post by sandpaper on Dec 14, 2007 1:38:08 GMT -5
Music is, and always has been, a wonderful outlet for me. In fact, once upon a time, my dream was to be a professional classical guitarist. I followed this path into college, but got lost somewhere along the way and ended becoming a lawyer. I still play every now and then, and I even have performed at weddings and various social events, but since my son was born it's been exceptionally difficult to find the time to practice -- or even just to play a few bars.
This is most unfortunate, especially now when things in my life are so hectic and stressful. Playing the instrument has always been a wonderful stress reliever and source of renewal. So much so, that at times I find myself connected to a very deep and emotional part of my being, a place of pure joy and solitude; almost like a glimpse into another world.
Incidentally, my experience with classical guitar is the reason for my board name: Sandpaper. Classical guitarists pluck the guitar strings with the nails of one hand (usually the right) and use the other hand (usually the left) to manipulate the frets up and down the neck of the guitar. Nail care of the plucking hand is crucial to a solid, clean tone. The first step in this process involves filing and shaping the nails in a very specific way, usually with a nail file or emery board. While the nails may appear smooth and round after this effort, their surfaces remain coarse and jagged at the tip, and will produce a thin, uneven sound. The key to a clean, crisp, and warm tone is to sculpt and polish the nails with a very fine grade sandpaper. This smooths out and removes the imperfections in the surface of the nails and leaves one ready to produce the most magical sounds he possibly can produce with his hand. This is a tedious and often frustrating process, but it is crucial to the music.
This is, in many ways, how I view the recovery process: the best and most effective efforts toward recovery are often the most tedious, tiresome, or inconvenient, but they are usually the key to realizing one's full potential.
Sorry to ramble. The point is: yes, music can be "instrumental" in the healing process; it has certainly been an inspiration for me.
Sandpaper
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Post by larus on Dec 14, 2007 2:43:57 GMT -5
hello 1dayatatime
go for it with the banjo!
it is accordion for me. It is definitely an important part of my recovering life. I have been studying for two years now. I find it so interesting that in the middle of the night I am making up chord schemes for a song. Example. A couple of days ago, on Youtube i found this jiddisch tune: 'Der Rebbe Elimelech'. It is quite rewarding to figure out a good way to play this on accordion. Tomorrow we have a music session in a nearby pub and if all goes well I will try and play it there. It is a lot of fun.
larus
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Post by lifeforce on Dec 14, 2007 14:59:27 GMT -5
I'm a musician, so it's part of my daily life, and when I was still doing lots of P (5 years ago) my playing suffered. But I'd like to add, perhaps slightly off-topic (but really on-topic since it also helps focus the mind somewhere else), that yoga really helped me a lot too in my recovery. I started doing it the same year I began my recovery, and throughout that time the more I've done it the more confident and relaxed I became, the less anxiety I felt, and so, naturally, the less inclined I became toward doing the P. Meditation goes hand-in-hand with yoga (it's really part of the practice) and that helped a lot too.
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Post by addict70 on Dec 14, 2007 16:31:28 GMT -5
I'm a musician, so it's part of my daily life, and when I was still doing lots of P (5 years ago) my playing suffered. But I'd like to add, perhaps slightly off-topic (but really on-topic since it also helps focus the mind somewhere else), that yoga really helped me a lot too in my recovery. I started doing it the same year I began my recovery, and throughout that time the more I've done it the more confident and relaxed I became, the less anxiety I felt, and so, naturally, the less inclined I became toward doing the P. Meditation goes hand-in-hand with yoga (it's really part of the practice) and that helped a lot too. I used to meditate and was really interested in zen philosophy. I stopped because I became frustrated when when my P thoughts would ruin my meditation. At frist it was going well, but then probably because my habit was getting worse these thoughts kept creeping in and I felt as though I could'nt expell them. I need to start again. Could'nt hurt. |
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Post by manic on Dec 14, 2007 16:39:07 GMT -5
I play keys as well: piano and church organ. I've had a jazz trio for a while before I moved from Holland to Scotland. Interestingly that was piano, trumpet, electric bass - not the standard piano, drums & double bass trio. Me and the guys might re-start if and when I move back.
It's not really "part of my recovery plan", but I do use my piano playing as an outlet for stress sometimes - a much healthier thing than acting out with P, obviously.
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Post by longhair19 on Dec 14, 2007 17:02:14 GMT -5
I think of playing guitar as part of my LIFE plan. It may never be a career, but I still love doing it. The only connection my guitar playing might have with P is that my acoustic guitar has some nice curves  |
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Post by zerotolerance on Dec 14, 2007 17:36:33 GMT -5
I only play "Guitar Hero". lol!!! (for anyone not familiar with guitar hero, it's a playstation game. But even just that fako music playing, definately provides an outlet for anxiety release to me. It's a distraction basically, and it's a fun one taboot!
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Post by 1dayatatime on Dec 14, 2007 19:12:10 GMT -5
Wow, there are a lot of musicians here. We could start a band. How does the name "All Recovery All Star Blues and Jug Band" sound?  |
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Post by broonx1 on Dec 14, 2007 22:59:04 GMT -5
I had been considering picking up the guitar again. Just for self gratification only though. My screen name comes from the band RUSH and a classical guitar solo called Broon's Bane and an old producer of theirs.
Anyway... I believe any hobby that you can focus on in lieu of P certainly can't hurt. Puzzles, model building, music, baking, wood working, anything that you can sink your teeth into and focus your energies on instead of P should be a total positive.
1 day at a time... you have me beat.
I'm a guitar playing irish polish american wiccan product estimator posting on a PA board.
Pick on my friend.
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kall
New Member
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Post by kall on Dec 16, 2007 4:09:53 GMT -5
I play guitar. Guitar is pretty much my obsession.
I'm also beginning to write some stuff. Well i always have, but sporadically. And alot of the lyrics draw on my PA
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