Music is my drug of choice. By Jerry W. Henry

I am told that I love music for much the same reason that people are drawn to drugs, sex, gambling and tasteful foods such as chocolate. When I listen to songs that move me, my brain release dopamine, a feel-good chemical that is involved in both motivation and addiction. A specific pattern of brain arousal and often are accompanied by increases in heart and breathing rates and other physical responses.

 

Not only is music a powerful force for positive change in the world. Researchers tell us that teaching music to kids helps them do better in school. Yes, music is a powerful drug indeed.

From an early age, I realized that music was my drug of choice.  It could raise me out of a funk better than any illicit substance. At the other end of the pendulum I could also transport myself to deep, dark places. What is it about songs, the beat, the words, the memories they provoke? Regardless, music can take me from those deep, dark places to elation in an instant.

A fellow blogger, jpdeuce73 (Music is my drug blog), says it best: “Who am I? A misfit who never fit in except for when the music was playing. Music is like oxygen to me. I need it in my everyday life or I feel as if I am suffocating. I love listening to all types of music, but what's even better is being able to experience that music being performed live. To be that close to the poets who wrote these pieces of art and seeing them translate it in person. That, my friend, is like a drug...and it is my drug of choice.”

Music is not a scarce drug. There is lots of great music in the world, and relatively few people hear most of it.  I listen to as much music as I can. I love that feeling you get when you listen to a favorite part of a favorite song. If I want to get into a certain frame of mind, music does it for me. I become a part of the music. I move when it wants me to move. When it leaves me I will surely beg for more.

I listen to music when I am happy, sad, and in-between. There’s something just irresistibly seductive about music. Music is the answer. Music is my passion. Music is my drug of choice.