Art therapy in rehab

Art therapy for addiction recovery uses creative expression to help you process feelings, memories, and experiences that are difficult to put into words. You don’t need to be artistic or have any previous experience with art. The aim is to use drawing, painting, sculpture, or other creative work to explore what is happening inside you and how drugs, alcohol or compulsive behaviours have become a way of coping.

art therapy paint

What is art therapy?

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art as a way to work through complicated feelings and learn more about oneself. In art therapy for addiction recovery, the therapist will guide you through creating images or objects that represent your experiences. They will then help you understand your art and what it reveals about your relationship with substances or addictive behaviours.

In Britain, art therapists usually hold an art degree and a postgraduate qualification in art therapy that includes psychotherapy and clinical training. This means they understand the link between mental health and addiction and know how to use creative processes to help you work through the issues driving your substance use or behaviours.

During an art therapy session, you may draw your cravings, paint your family dynamics, sculpt representations of trauma, or create collages about your life before and during active addiction. The creative process can create distance between you and the painful material, making it more bearable to examine.

Why does art therapy help with addiction?

Art therapy for substance abuse and behavioural addiction is effective because making something with your hands is an instinctive process that gets you out of your own head. This is a great way of bypassing the addiction denial or defensiveness that can hold people back in early recovery.

Addictive behaviours often develop as a way to avoid painful emotions. You may drink or use drugs because they distract you from feelings like grief, anger, shame, or fear. Recovery requires processing those emotions instead of numbing them, but that’s hard when you have got used to avoiding them. If talking directly about your deeper struggles is too much right now, art therapy for drug addiction and alcoholism allows you to draw or paint them instead.

Art therapy can also reveal patterns you haven’t noticed. You may draw the same angry figure repeatedly without knowing at first who it represents, or use dark colours every time you depict yourself. Your art therapist will help you see these patterns and understand what they mean.

Many people in recovery struggle with alexithymia, which is a difficulty in identifying and describing emotions. You know you feel bad, but you don’t know what the feeling actually is. Creating visual representations can help you distinguish between different emotional states and put a name to what you’re feeling.

How does art therapy work in rehab settings?

Many rehab programmes include art therapy for addiction recovery alongside traditional talking therapies. The combination works because addiction affects different parts of your brain, and creative expression can access emotions and memories that talk therapy sometimes misses.

Art therapy in rehab can take several forms depending on the programme and your needs, but it may involve:

Individual art therapy sessions

In one-on-one art therapy for alcohol addiction and drugs, you work privately with a therapist who gets to know your history and struggles. Sessions might be structured around a particular theme, like what your addiction looks like or who you are without substances.

In other sessions, you may be encouraged to create freely and see what emerges. You will discuss what you chose to make, what feelings came up during the process, and what the finished piece means to you. These sessions give you space to explore personal issues that are too private or painful to discuss in group settings.

Group art therapy sessions

In group art therapy, you create art alongside other people. Everyone gets the same topic or materials and works on their own piece, then shares and discusses what they’ve made.

This works differently from sitting in a circle talking because making something with your hands takes the pressure off having to speak. Your artwork can say difficult things for you, and it can help if you’re anxious or restless, which are common withdrawal symptoms.

Group sessions often show surprising links between people’s work. For example, two people may use completely different styles, but both draw walls or barriers. Someone else’s artwork may help you understand your own situation better. Seeing these connections can make you feel less alone and help you feel more comfortable with your recovery peers.

Art therapy and the 12 steps

Some rehab programmes use art therapy alongside the 12-step programme. You can draw each step, create images of your higher power, or make art about the people you need to make amends to.

Step 4, the moral inventory, works particularly well with art therapy as it can bring up memories and feelings that a written list misses. Instead of just writing down your regrets or fears, you can create images that show how those experiences actually felt.

Art therapy also fits with Step 11, which focuses on meditation and your higher power. The focused, repetitive work of painting or sculpting can be very meditative, helping you feel present and connected to something bigger than yourself.

Benefits of art therapy for addiction

Art therapy provides a non-verbal outlet for feelings you haven’t found words for yet. This matters in early recovery when your emotions are raw and overwhelming, but you don’t have the tools to articulate them yet.

The creative process itself can be calming, giving you a healthy way to manage stress and anxiety without substances. Art therapy can also help you know yourself better by making deeply hidden feelings and thoughts visible. Once you can see your patterns and feelings represented in artwork, you can start to work with them consciously rather than being controlled by them.

Creating something can also give you a sense of accomplishment that addiction has stolen. Finishing a piece of art, even a simple one, proves you’re capable, and many people keep their artwork from alcohol and drug rehab as tangible proof of their progress.

Art therapy also builds skills you can use after leaving treatment when cravings hit or stress builds up at home.

Getting the right support

If you’re interested in art therapy for addiction, Recovery.org can explain what different programmes offer. Not every drug and alcohol rehab centre provides art therapy, but we can help you find one that does. We understand that choosing treatment is difficult, so contact us today, and our experienced team can guide you to the right place.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does art therapy complement other rehab therapies?

Art therapy works well alongside various other rehab therapies. You may identify a traumatic memory through painting and work on resolving it during CBT. Similarly, something that you understand through art can become a subject for family therapy or group sessions. Using different methods together helps more than any single approach because addiction is often caused by a web of causes that need untangling.

Is art therapy the same as a regular art class?

No, in an art class, the focus is on developing artistic skills and creating a beautiful piece. In art therapy, the focus is on self-expression and emotional processing. That is why you don’t need any artistic skill or experience for art therapy.

How much does art therapy cost?

NHS addiction services may include art therapy at no cost, but availability is limited. Private art therapy sessions can vary in price, depending on the therapist. In private rehab where art therapy is offered, it is usually included in the overall programme cost.

(Click here to see works cited)

British Association of Art Therapists. “How to Become an Art Therapist.” BAAT, 30 July 2025, baat.org/art-therapy/how-to-become-an-art-therapist/.