DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Drug and substance abuse is a menacing problem that has proven difficult to solve all over the world. It is a harmful practice that affects the society in so many ways; it affects the health of the user, it affects the productivity of the user hence a ripple effect on the economy and also affects the family of the user, especially where the user is the sole breadwinner (Yeo, 2016). Drug and substance abuse ultimately leads to drug addiction and therefore the victims where the victims would be forced to invest more time and money in pursuit of these drugs. Because of this, many families are languishing in poverty which actively contributes to poor economic trends in countries such as Colombia and Brazil, where drug abuse is rampant. Healing arts is a tool used during rehabilitation of these addicts (Foster, 2006). During rehabilitation, psychiatrists and other trained personnel use healing art activities such as drawing to enable their clients to vent out the negative emotions that drove them to use of drugs. Moreover, these arts are a way for these addicts to spend their time off drugs as they indulge in more productive activities (Barross, 2006).
UMEMPLOYMENT
Through healing arts, unemployment could be alleviated .Unemployment is directly associated with poor economic performance and an increase in acts of crime due to lack of economic activity opportunities, which is a major problem among the youth. Through mission based art programs and projects, many young people are given a platform through which they can showcase their talent in art. Through such platforms, these talents could be nurtured and developed. For instance, the Fine Arts Center in Kershaw County, South Carolina, offers provides young gifted students an opportunity to develop their artistic talents towards their maximum potential. At advanced levels, these young artists would be able to draw artistic portraits, make music and dramatization films and even publish creative writing material as economic activities. Furthermore, the program provides soothing music therapy for oncology students and brain tumor patients (Michael, 2017). Through this, healing arts is a way to re-establish and maintain mental wellbeing as well as providing employment opportunities for potential artists.
MENTAL HEALTH
Healing arts could also be used to assist individuals that have been affected by trauma caused by past events of sexual, racial or physical abuse, war and domestic violence (Maria, 2004). These are problems are increasingly become common in the modern society. The victims of such abuse are left traumatized for a very long if the conditions are nit looked into (Wendy, 2006). Such victims seek therapy during which they could also incorporate healing arts such as pottery, drawing and drama (Malte, 2013). The activities they engage in during healing arts enable these victims to heal faster and to be able to re-establish their place in the society. Moreover, the victims’ productivity is enhanced as they may end up pursuing careers in art.
References
Forster LMK, Tannhauser, M. Barros HMT. (2006). Drug Abuse among Street Children in
Southern Brazil. Drug and Alcohol Dependance[PubMed]
Malte, S. (2013). Ancient Healing Arts. The international Online Journal Vault.
Maria, L. (2004). The arts in Contemporary Healing. The Arts in Psychotherapy.
Michael, A. (2017). Empathy: The Power of Healing Within Us. Arts and International Affairs.