Human
Drug And Alcohol Addict Turns To Painting For Recovery
Leon Lamb
First Posted: Jan 20, 2017 03:10 AM EST
A 27-year-old recalls how art saved him from addiction.
As a teenager, Brian Menish got wasted from alcohol and drugs too often. He said this made him able to relate to other people as himself and helped him deal with his parents' divorce. While he had fallen into the trap of alcohol and substance abuse to escape his emotional issues, his parents sent him away to join a program that helped teenagers cope with their emotional and addiction problems.
This was when he got introduced to his unknown talent: painting.
"This art teacher at this school in Utah really brought my skill to my attention," Brian Menish told CNN. "If not for that person in my life, I don't think I would be here today."
Although he was sober for nine months, his struggle with addiction did not just end there. After finishing the program, Brian Menish relapsed when he got back home and met his friends. It felt like nothing had changed for him. Not until his motorcycle accident when he was out to buy drugs.
"I was going too fast around a small winding road. My bike hit the guardrail, and I flew over. I hit a tree or a rock and split my skull," Brian Menish recalled. "I was not expected to live."
After the accident, Brian Menish's paintings were not as detailed as before. The accident made him unable to use his right hand, which led him to depression. Thankfully, his mom encouraged him to use his left hand that gave him a new style he began to like.
"Even though my style was much looser, it felt great to be painting again. I kinda liked, and still like, my style now almost better than my detailed drawings and paintings," he said. "It relieves a lot of stress for me knowing that I'm good at something. Someone told me you gain self-esteem by doing estimable acts. That stuck in my head."
According to Rehab Centers, teens with divorced parents are four times more likely to turn into drugs than those whose parents are together.
For Brian Minesh's case, art could be a great help to escape addiction. However, it is better for parents to keep their teenagers in good company.
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First Posted: Jan 20, 2017 03:10 AM EST
A 27-year-old recalls how art saved him from addiction.
As a teenager, Brian Menish got wasted from alcohol and drugs too often. He said this made him able to relate to other people as himself and helped him deal with his parents' divorce. While he had fallen into the trap of alcohol and substance abuse to escape his emotional issues, his parents sent him away to join a program that helped teenagers cope with their emotional and addiction problems.
This was when he got introduced to his unknown talent: painting.
"This art teacher at this school in Utah really brought my skill to my attention," Brian Menish told CNN. "If not for that person in my life, I don't think I would be here today."
Although he was sober for nine months, his struggle with addiction did not just end there. After finishing the program, Brian Menish relapsed when he got back home and met his friends. It felt like nothing had changed for him. Not until his motorcycle accident when he was out to buy drugs.
"I was going too fast around a small winding road. My bike hit the guardrail, and I flew over. I hit a tree or a rock and split my skull," Brian Menish recalled. "I was not expected to live."
After the accident, Brian Menish's paintings were not as detailed as before. The accident made him unable to use his right hand, which led him to depression. Thankfully, his mom encouraged him to use his left hand that gave him a new style he began to like.
"Even though my style was much looser, it felt great to be painting again. I kinda liked, and still like, my style now almost better than my detailed drawings and paintings," he said. "It relieves a lot of stress for me knowing that I'm good at something. Someone told me you gain self-esteem by doing estimable acts. That stuck in my head."
According to Rehab Centers, teens with divorced parents are four times more likely to turn into drugs than those whose parents are together.
For Brian Minesh's case, art could be a great help to escape addiction. However, it is better for parents to keep their teenagers in good company.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone