Our five senses are all susceptible to being triggered by memories sending signals to our brains and bodies of our old using days. Music is a huge trigger for most people, especially those new to recovery. A simple song that you love can induce nostalgic like feelings. You recall the first time you saw them live, the activities you participated in while listening to them (usually involving drugs and alcohol for most of us), and who you may have been with. It is interesting that some of our favorite bands are actually named after drugs, alcohol and/or the experience of substance abuse. The relationship between music and drugs is apparent in bands such as Green Day, Motorhead, Doobie Brothers, and Speedball where their name explicitly refers to substances.

More so than the names of bands eliciting these feelings are some of the song lyrics that we sing repetitively about substance abuse in songs:

• Stone Temple Pilots – Crackerman
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Mary Jane’s Last Dance
• Steve Miller Band – The Joker
• Sublime – Smoke Two Joints
• Buck Cherry – Lit Up
• Cypress Hill – Hits from the Bong
• Hank Williams, Jr.  – Family Tradition

There are many band names and songs not listed above that you may identify your addiction with. Clearly, no one is saying to stop listening to your favorite music once sober. However, it is important for us in recovery to recognize the influence music has on our emotions and old thought patterns. Music and drugs a relationship to think about for your addiction treatment aftercare routine.