Humor in Recovery & Health in General: Part I

Prior to entering the field of psych/addiction my life consisted of writing comedy bits and song parodies for the Charles Laquidara morning show at WBCN-104.1 FM in Boston, as a member of the “Not before Breakfast Big Mattress Players.” Evenings would find me out on the Boston Comedy scene; From “Stitches Comedy Club” in the Paradise Rock Club on Comm-Ave, to working the once a week restaurant comedy ‘Hells.’ My pal George MacDonald always referred to those once a week shows as a place, “Where the jokes never work, the audience never laughs, and the show never ends...”

I also had a once a week comedy show that I hosted at a Mexican restaurant in Saugus while being a comic bartender there.

So naturally, my comedy background would take over when I had to choose a thesis topic for my Masters in Counseling Psychology.

The title of my thesis was, “A Contemporary View of the Efficacy of Humor as a Therapeutic Component within Addiction Counseling Relationships & Health in General.”

In my review of literature I found that many of the benefits of laughter & humor that had been viewed as strictly anecdotal over the years had been empirically researched and found to be valid.

Over the past several decades empirical research data has indicated the direct benefit of humor in areas such as:
1. Reducing stress, anxiety, and tension
2. Promoting psychological well-being
3. Raising self-esteem
4. Improving interpersonal interactions and relationships
5. Building group identity, solidarity, and cohesiveness
6. Enhancing memory (for humorous information)
7. Increasing pain tolerance
8. Elevating mood
9. Increasing hope, energy, and vigor
10. Counteracting depression and anxiety
11. Enhancing creative thinking and problem-solving
12. Increasing friendliness and helpfulness
13. Intensifying mirth
14. Being contagious (induces mirth in others)
15. Increasing interpersonal attraction and closeness
16. Exercising respiratory muscles (www.aath.org)


At the present time current research on all scientific fronts is looking to the possible benefits of humor in additional areas such as:
1. Reducing respiratory infections
2. Treating asthma
3. Enhancing positive lifestyle choices
4. Improving diabetes
5. Increasing longevity
6. Improving immune function
7. Raising endorphins levels
8. Treats cancer
9. Fights off infections
10. Lowers blood pressure
11. Reduces heart disease
12. Exercise benefits equal to jogging
13. Leads to significant weight loss (www.aath.org)

I utilize my sense of humor when I am working in the addiction field; whether I am presenting an educational group in the day program where I work, or, when meeting with a client one on one.

I will go more into depth on this in part II of this series of blogs.

Both the word “humor” and “humanity” have that “h-u-m” beginning. No accident I believe. Humor is one of the characteristics that separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom (well, with the possible exception of dolphins – the research goes on in this area however, lol).

Humor allows my clients to feel they are on equal footing with me; I am not above them. I am there to work for them and with them. I personally have found that it can greatly enhance the therapeutic relationship.

In Part II I will discuss the research I conducted with therapists working in the field. The types of humor they employ and when they employ it. I will also discuss the cautions a therapist needs to be aware of when utilizing humor in the therapeutic relationship.

P.S. If you enjoy my blogs please pass on my link to your friends. http://willydrinkwater.blogspot.com/