A Dance/Movement Therapy Approach to Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery

A Dance/Movement Therapy Approach to Alcohol Use Disorder Recovery In 2016, The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that approximately 3.7 million adults aged 18-25 and 10.9 million adults aged 26 or older had Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) in the past year (https://nsduhweb.rti). Of the 2.2 million people aged 12 and older who needed treatment for AUD, only 10.6 percent received treatment (https://nsduhweb.rti). Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States (https://nsduhweb.rti). Definitions of recovery include a process of physiological and psychological growth which supports a freedom from substance dependency, greater health and well-being, and abstinence; although, abstinence alone does not define recovery. Previous research has found that self-efficacy and coping skills, involvement in healthy rewarding alternative activities, and growing and maintaining relationships with family and friends were treatment goals that were known to support positive short-term outcomes for AUD recovery. These personal resources are offered in Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), an experiential creative arts therapy. The following literature review will demonstrate DMT’s ability to effectively support the recovery process by noting mechanisms of change inherent in DMT which parallel those of recovery models that have shown successful outcomes (mutual help groups, cognitive/behavioral models, medication-assisted treatment).M.A., Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling -- Drexel University, 201