How Playing the Violin Reduces Drug Use

I’m Jason Chan and I’m one of the co-founders of Mozart Violins. I started playing the violin in the 2nd grade, after seeing one of my friends start learning to play. I was inspired by the incredible works of Mozart (a reason for the name of our company) and Beethoven. I dreamed that I could one day have the ability to play songs by such incredible composers. I imagined myself being able to play some of the greatest musical compositions in front of friends and family. I thought to myself, “Playing a violin could make me look cool!” As weird as it turned out, learning the violin did a lot more than making me look cool. Building Mozart Violins has become a calling in itself.

My first violin teacher’s name was Mr. Tim. I remember being so excited for every practice on Wednesday evenings. It was one of those highlights of being a child. I remember joking and laughing with Mr. Tim while he taught me the basics of learning the violin.

So why am I making such a big claim that playing the violin reduces drug use? It turns out that science has found an answer. Activities such as playing a musical instrument puts an individual into a state of mind called ’flow’. Flow is defined as a mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.

“But anyone who has experienced flow knows that the deep enjoyment it provides requires an equal degree of disciplined concentration.” ― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and author of Flow

Now, so you’re wondering, what does flow have to do with drug use? Well as it turns out, EVERYTHING. When you’re in flow, your brain is having the time of its life. It provides the same ‘high’ as drugs and alcohol.

THEREFORE, trying to live your life in flow will keep you away from drugs. If you’re a parent, try to help your son or daughter find activities such as drawing or playing a musical instrument that they help them attain FLOW. This will not only make them more successful in school, but make their lives ten times more meaningful and fun.