Addiction, unfortunately, has been something that has defined my family name. I come from a long line of addicts, and if you have lived in Airdrie long enough, the last name Stricker can cause an array of reactions.
My grandfather was a long-time business owner and landowner here. He came from Switzerland in the 1960s to create a better life, and he did just that. He raised three kids on a farm near where the Airdrie Pro Rodeo grounds are currently located.
Two of those three kids are now gone. One of them was my late father, Matthew, who died in 2002 at age 34. His brother David died in 2019 at 47. Addiction played a role in both of their deaths. Another relative, William, died from an overdose a year before my father.
I have made it a personal goal to end the cycle of destruction. It has been an insane journey to get here, and I have not made it easy for those around me in the process.
For a time, I followed in the footsteps of my predecessors, and it almost got me on two occasions. Two grand mal seizures, resulting from poor lifestyle choices, were wake up calls for me. After those two incidents, I realized that just because my name is linked to chaos doesn’t mean my life has to be.
After a six-year journey, I’m at a place where I can begin to say I may be on the right track.
The main thing I want to stress is it does get better. I can recall times in my life when I was in the throes of darkness and I was certain it could never get better, but somehow, here I am.
We are approaching a season that has traditionally and statistically been shown to see increased levels of depression. Add to that everything else we’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis in 2020, and the daily grind can be tough.
In this column, I have walked the tightrope of getting a little too personal in order to discuss important silent battles. In a year like the one we currently face, it is so easy to toss discipline and self-care aside to dwell on our sorrows. I still do it sometimes. But there is always someone around to listen. You don’t have to go through hard times alone.
Many of us who are going through hardships tend to rely on only themselves and not seek support from others, which in turn can make things more difficult. There is something better on the other side of dark times. It can be hard to see, but it’s true.
You are not alone.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
