The power of addiction

By Amos Johnson

The mind of an addict is something only the addict themselves can grasp; even if they can’t understand it.

Mike Brown has lived through the threat of addiction, affecting his family and other relationships in the process. Now he is making a difference and giving back to the community to help others who are in recovery.

He is now the founder of an organization called Spiritual Soldiers which initially started as a clothing brand. Ten per cent of all clothing sales benefit local charities. As time progressed, they started getting more attention on social media and eventually opened a coffee shop.

Brown had a normal childhood with a loving and supportive family. It wouldn’t be long until he discovered drugs and alcohol, changing his life forever.

It started with alcohol by Brown taking what he could from his parent’s liquor cabinet. Later in his teens he was introduced to cocaine at parties.  Cocaine resulted in Brown being in serious debt, with his parents by his side ready to help.

“I would say (my parents) are the real heroes,” said Brown.

Brown ended up bartending in Toronto and looking back, said it was feeding his addiction. He saw it as good money and he enjoyed the company of the people he worked with.

Born and raised in London, Ont. Brown moved around different cities in the hopes of starting over. He realized the hard way that the addiction isn’t that simple to get rid of. This showed when he called his father one night to say goodbye, as he decided he was going to take his own life.

Brown ended the call saying they would be better off without him and blamed himself for all the problems he caused. The second the call ended, his father dialed 911. Brown later woke up in the hospital with his parents by his bedside.

“In my mind I would build everything up and tear it down,” Brown said.

After going through several rehab programs, Brown continued to use. He tried getting back into the bar industry, however he got fired after one night when a moment of wine tasting got the better of him.

“I knew I needed help but it was until I said I wanted the help,” said Brown.

“Five per cent of it is the drugs and alcohol, 95 per cent of it is how my mind works.”

His parents eventually cut him off. This meant that there would be no more money lending or food deliveries, as it would enable him to never change.

James Lucier is Brown’s partner in Spiritual Soldiers who he met in recovery. When Lucier discovered drugs and alcohol for the first time he found peace, ridding the negative thoughts in his head. Until one day it stopped working.

“I was restless, I was irritable, I was discontented, unless I could feel that sense of ease and comfort from something. It was a vicious cycle. A few overdoses, a few trips to rehab, you name it I have tried it to stay sober,” said Lucier.

“I practice my prayer and spirituality and these voids that drugs and alcohol were filling are now filled by those. Where I was resentful before, I’m now forgiving. Where I lied I now tell the truth, so it’s a whole new way of life. I had to uproot my thinking, my behaviour and completely change them.”

One night, Mike Brown sat in front of a crowd of recovering addicts and other guests at the Spiritual Soldiers Coffee Compound and talked about his experience for almost a full hour. What he got back was nothing but love and support from the crowd and talked to everyone who was inspired by his story.

He told his story in the hopes that it will inspire other recovering addicts to learn from his mistakes and that is what Spiritual Soldiers is all about.

“We’re not in this for money,” Brown said.

“We’re just in this to share our story and let people know that there’s hope out there.”

Mike Brown’s full story from his words