It’s a little past halloween for this post, but I must say there’s something about horror that fascinates me. Whether it’s real life danger, or fun little scary legends that may or may not be real, I feel a sense of morbid curiosity. Continue reading →

This is a contribution by Josh from www.cleanandsoberlive.com. You can find more information on achieving addiction recovery through personal growth by visiting their website.

Everyone has the image of the tortured artist in their mind. That image usually comes with a bottle or a needle. The stereotype that truly creative geniuses need mind-altering substances is extremely prevalent in our society, and in some cases might even be responsible for causing certain artistic type to turn to artistic abuse in search of their muse.

Whether or not alcoholism boosts creativity is questionable at best, but its truly tragic when you look at the effect alcoholism and addiction has had on so many otherwise successful people. Look at Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Layne Staley, Janis Joplin…the list goes on and on.

Some people speculate that the creativity in alcoholics might have to do with their tendency to be more sensitive. The theory is that the alcoholic personality type is usually very sensitivity which makes them more prone to depression, but it also makes them more capable of producing works of art infused with great emotion.

Recently, a study in the journal Consciousness and Cognition described that research subjects who had a blood alcohol level of .05 (around 2 pints of beer), actually performed better than non-intoxicated subjects in tests that measured creativity. Researchers suggested that this improvement was due to the subjects being more relaxed, allowing their brain to better process the bigger picture.

Of course, the findings in this study only applied to situations where the subjects were slightly buzzed, not drunk to the extreme – a state which many creative types seem to crave.

Whether or not alcoholism or drugs heighten creativity, the fact of the matter remains that many creative types are afflicted with alcoholism and addiction. As “sexy” as the image of the tortured artist may be, alcoholism and addiction are real problems that can have negative consequences, both physical, mental, and social.

I would encourage other artists monitor their own substance abuse closely. When it starts negatively affecting other aspects of your life, don’t just write it off to your artistic nature. True artistry doesn’t have to come from getting blind drunk or high, it comes from tapping into your soul and translating what you find into the medium of your choosing.

For more information regarding alcoholism and treatment options, click here If you suspect a friend or loved one is abusing alcohol or drugs, you can find more information on how you can help them here.