What does it mean to be S.O.B.E.R.? – E: Escape Stressors

Last week, I shared about the “B” in SOBER. If you missed it, you can check it out HERE. This week, we cover the “E” which stands for “Escape Stressors.”

E = Escape Stressors

Clinical Outcome: “Clients will engage in two types of music-based relaxation techniques to increase healthy coping skills.” 

That may be what I write in my documentation, but what I write on the white board for my clients is:

“How to chill the ____ out.”

Were you taught how to chill out whenever you were worked up, upset, or out of sorts? 

When I was growing up, in our downstairs bathroom, there was something magical. Maybe you had one in your house? It was a mirror, but you could open it, and behind the mirror, were all kinds of drugs.

Of course, they were all deemed legal and worthy by the U.S. government, so we didn’t actually call them drugs, even though we bought them at the drugstore. They were ‘medicine,’ or ‘prescriptions,’ or ‘medications.’ 

Whenever I felt any discomfort or dis-ease in my mind/body, I would tell my parents, and with all the love in the world, they would respond with the following phrase: “Well did you take anything for it?”

The answer(s) to my problem was sitting behind the mirror. All I had to do was take them. 

Here’s what this process trained me in: Wanna feel better? Put something in your body. You buy them at the drugstore. They are called drugs. They make you feel better. 

The dependence on outside substances to restore peace and/or equilibrium inside is engrained. That is why I teach the teens and young adults that I work with how to use music as a healthy way to deal with any discomfort we might be dealing with.

How Music Helps Us Escape Stressors

Check out the video below for a further explanation of how this works.

If you want a safe way to escape the stress of the moment, download the Relaxation Vacation for free by visiting www.sonicrecovery.com.