_{For fifteen years, concert violinist Michael Ginsburg lived in a nightmarish world composed only of drugs and his addiction to them. His musical skills were left far behind as he sought out and used the drugs that his addictions demanded.}

_{“Drugs completely robbed me of my music,” said Michael. “I started out studying music at The Julliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. But then after starting to use marijuana, my grades plummeted, I stopped studying or playing music and quit school.”}

_{Over time, Michael developed addictions that included all the most commonly abused drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and prescription drugs. Michael started working as a DJ at all-night raves, using other drugs all too often found around Dallas: Ecstasy, ketamine and LSD. When he got into trouble in a city where he was working as a DJ, he usually wound up homeless, so he would move on to a new city. “In fifteen years, I lived in eighteen states,” he said.}

_{“I tried to quit taking drugs,” Michael added. “I went to ten different rehabs with no success. The drug cravings just never stopped. I was sure I would die from drug abuse. That finally changed when I got onto the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program at Narconon Arrowhead in Canadian, Oklahoma. I started playing music again for the students at Narconon a few weeks after I arrived. Slowly, my love of music and enjoyment of performing came back to me. I saw what I was able to give people.}

_{“Gradually, the phases of the Narconon program made me realize that life isn’t about taking drugs. The unique detoxification program at Narconon eliminated my cravings for the first time in fifteen years. I’m finally able to enjoy life without ever thinking about drugs.”}

_{Now that he has regained his love for and ability to play his violin again, Michael brings music everywhere he goes. He finds violins for people who always wanted to play but never learned, and then gives them lessons. His students include a 75-year old Korean War veteran and retired Methodist minister. He also delivers drug education classes, accompanied by his music, in schools around his new Oklahoma home. On July 6^th, Michael performed at a benefit concert for the Arts Council in McAlester, Oklahoma, accompanied by friend and pianist Kathy Brod.}

_{“My parents came down from Pennsylvania for this concert,” Michael said with a smile. “My mother was so happy to see that I had not lost my music to the drugs. The Narconon program gave me my music back and gave my mother her son back.”}

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