Music Being Reviewed:
Sober (Pink)

Reviewer:
Philip Clarke

Genre:
Popular / Top Hits

Suggested Age Range:
Teen

Age Range Explained:
Appropriate age 16 and above. Deals with identity issues, yet adult topics of sobriety that still can be faced by teenagers

Depression, Mental disorder, Relationships, Substance abuse alcohol, Substance abuse drugs, Spiritual journey

Review:
The song "Sober” was performed by Pink and written by Nate "Danja" Hills, Kara DioGuardi, Marcella Araica and Pink. The song tells the tale of someone struggling with substance abuse problems and a search for self. The first and second verses of the song relate to not wanting to be defined by a partying lifestyle and a lonely existence. The chorus opens with a line alluding to the perceived benefits of substance use. The next lines of the chorus which state, No pain & inside & you're like perfection, reiterate the physical and psychological numbing effects of substance use and give the listener a sense that the narrator has a figurative relationship with substances.

In the last line of the chorus, the narrator asks, How do I feel this good sober? The narrator sounds frightened and desperate for ways to create a happy life without substances. This song works well in counseling persons with substance abuse problems because of the connections from the song to the role of substances, their positive and negative effects, and the existential anxiety that often feeds the addictive process.

The song can also be helpful in examining identity issues and low self-esteem. The song is appropriate for adolescents with substance abuse problems and adults with identity concerns or substance abuse issues. I recommend playing the song for the client while he or she has a copy of the lyrics to follow along. The counselor can then process how aspects of the song connect with his or her life.