National Endowment for the Arts Releases New Report on How the Arts Can Help Address the Opioid Crisis

Washington, DC-A new report from the National Endowment for the Arts presents growing evidence on how arts-based approaches, particularly music, can help to address the opioid crisis. Of the 69 unique studies examined in Arts-Based Approaches to Countering the Opioid Crisis: New and Expanded Evidence, nearly 80 percent reported positive findings while the remainder showed mixed or neutral results. No studies reported uniformly negative findings.

The new report builds on the Arts Endowment's Arts Strategies for Addressing the Opioid Crisis: Examining the Evidence. Published in 2020, that earlier publication was the first federal report to examine the state of research and practice for arts-based interventions in pain management and substance misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.

"While our nation has made important progress in combating the opioid epidemic, opioid misuse, substance use disorders, and chronic pain continue to have a devastating impact on individuals, families, and communities across America," said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. "We know that the arts can play a powerful role in promoting health, supporting recovery, and improving quality of life. This report highlights promising research and real-world examples of how the arts are making a difference. My hope is that these findings will encourage more healthcare professionals, artists, and community organizations to explore innovative ways to integrate the arts into treatment and recovery, expanding their reach and bringing hope and healing to more Americans."

About 7.1 million Americans aged 12+ misused opioids in 2025, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The new Arts Endowment report describes evidence-based approaches for using the arts to help mitigate this national healthcare crisis. Among the key findings:

• Music interventions make up most of the current evidence, with 56 of 69 studies (81%) examining music-based approaches, including music therapy and music-listening. The strongest and most consistent results are for pain management. In general, reported benefits from music interventions include:
  • Reduced pain intensity
  • Improved physical functioning
  • Better quality of life
  • Improved emotional well-being
• Studies suggest arts interventions may also support substance abuse treatment engagement, readiness for change, and reduced craving, although this research base is less developed than evidence for music and pain management.

While available research on the topic is predominantly about music's benefits for pain management in clinical settings, a much broader array of arts programs is currently being deployed throughout the United States to address opioid-related behaviors or other prevention or treatment outcomes. A program scan in the report identifies 33 programs, initiatives, and policy/funding mechanisms spanning clinical and community settings and veteran, Indigenous, justice-involved, and youth populations. To help fill this gap between current research and practice, the report encourages researchers, arts and health professionals, and drug counselors to work together to implement, evaluate, and scale evidence-based arts interventions in clinics and communities.

Also included in the report are eight case studies illustrating how arts-based approaches are being used in substance misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Access the full report and an accompanying fact sheet at arts.gov .

Research into the value and impact of the arts is a core function of the National Endowment for the Arts. Consistent with its founding legislation, the agency supports projects that encourage public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the arts, including surveys, research, planning, and publications. Visit the Research impact webpage to learn more. For more information on the National Endowment for the Arts' grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and research supporting the arts and health, visit the Arts Endowment's Arts and Health impact webpage.