Member of the Goo Goo Dolls Helping Addicts in New York

Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls is using his 'Music Is Art' organization and collaborating with others to offer a different kind of treatment for addiction.

Drug addiction is a huge problem all across the country, but it's especially bad in New York State. According to the New York State Department of Health, an estimated 1.9 million New York state residents have a substance abuse problem.

Robby Takac, one of the founding members of the Goo Goo Dolls, and his "Music is Art" organization is teaming up with the "Blues Society of Western New York." The point is to help those who are struggling with addiction receive musical therapy and help them heal in a different way. With both of these organizations teaming up, they'll be able to expand the "Nurs'n Blues Program."

The "Nurs'n Blues Program" is to help teenagers and young adults who rely on drugs and alcohol to cope. By using many different methods involving music, the program helps sufferers reach their own goals, heal, and find their own coping skills to help them battle their addiction. According to Music Is Art,

Music therapists are trained in using music in a controlled manner. When a therapist first meets clients, goals of treatment are established and a plan of care is implemented using music interventions like lyric analysis, lyric identification, songwriting, rhythm circles, drawing to music, and movement to music. Sheila Connors, the therapist working with the Nurs’n Blues program is excited to have assisted over 600 clients since the program’s inception.

So it's not just listening to music, or becoming a songwriter, there are many different levels to music therapy. And it's made to fit the person in need. When it comes to drug addiction, different treatments work for different people. Some use counseling, some go to meetings, some are put on prescriptions to combat the underlying causes, some use other treatments. Music therapy is just another option. And an option that may be more appealing or relatable to teenagers and young adults.

Most of us know that the Goo Goo Dolls formed their band in Buffalo, New York (with the founding members being from the area), but it's so great to hear about bands coming back to help their hometown. Just one more reason to like Robby Takac and the rest of the Goo Goo Dolls.