Alcona resident Jorden Mathias and his brother Jake are the founders of the new 'Barrie's Live Music Show' Facebook page which has raised over $100K for local charities this year.
What started off as a space for local talent to perform during the pandemic, has turned into a Facebook community page of over 11,000 members.
“Right now, we’re doing a fundraiser for Roberta Place… we’re taking donations for medical gear [and] face masks and we’re also writing letters for the seniors in those homes… trying to raise some cheer,” explains Mathias.
Music has always played a large part in Mathias' life, even in his darkest days of alcohol and substance abuse which he talks about in the new YouTube series 'Sobering Films'.
“With the substances that are available out there on the streets today, there needs to be more awareness,” says Mathias. “Recreational use is one thing, but peer pressure and the stuff that’s out there today is scary.”
Mathias has been sober for five years now and hopes his story will help others going through a tough time with addiction.
From an early age, Mathias was a troubled kid who grew up in a tumultuous home. At 12, he was already experimenting with his marijuana and by 18, Mathias was 'partying' with his mother and using hard substances.
“I was that kid punching teachers,” admits Mathias. “I was that kid whose desk was always out in the hallway half the school year.”
In his early 20s, Mathias formed a band with his brother and friends called ‘The Straits’, playing guitar, bass guitar, and singing back-up vocals which provided him with an ‘escape’ from his dark childhood.
Playing gigs every weekend and in the prime of his life, Mathias was ‘living the dream’. However, with the rockstar lifestyle came the temptations and influence of more drugs and alcohol.
“Every weekend would be ‘the party’,” shares Mathias. “I would do drugs to ‘level out’ before a gig, but then I would lose the moment… as we were playing, I couldn’t wait to get back out into the bathroom or parking lot and carry on with what we were doing before (drugs). The things that I loved and was passionate about started to slip away as a result of my obsession with substances… I was never in the moment, it was stolen.”
Mathias’ life began to spiral out of control as the drugs and alcohol took over, getting him fired from jobs and putting himself in dangerous situations. At 18, Mathias and a few friends attempted to steal marijuana from someone’s crop on private property. The situation escalated quickly and Mathias found himself running for his life while being shot at (thankfully, he was not injured).
“I was in many places I had no business being in,” admits Mathias. “The thrill was also part of the high. I was in a chaotic lifestyle all the time. Friday would come and before I knew it, I was broke by Monday and waiting for Friday to come again – it was a vicious cycle and that’s all I knew.”
Mathias was a ‘weekend warrior’ for years and says he feared change, so he stayed in his ‘cycle’ for two decades; drinking alcohol not for the flavour but for the ‘effects’ alone.
“Not every time I drank and used substances did I get into trouble, but every time I was in trouble, I was drinking or drugging and that was my life,” shares Mathias. “The guy that would steal your wallet and help you look for it… I think that was me.”
During this time he met his common-law partner and they had three children together. But even with a family, Mathias continued to battle his addictions.
“Alcohol and drugs took away a lot of moments from my family,” says Mathias. “We take our spouse or significant other ‘hostage’. I promised so many times I would stop, and she believed it, but then I’d do it again a couple of months later and would threaten things like suicide if she left me – this is how self-centred I was.”
Mathias hit rock bottom when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2013. Unable to process his own emotions, Mathias started using heroin and began losing a lot of weight.
“I couldn’t be a father to my kids, a brother, or a son anymore. I was impaired more often than not,” shares Mathias. “It was an endless chase that was very tiring.”
Mathias says it took many ‘false starts’ but eventually he made it through the recovery process. During his time at the detox clinic, he was introduced to the 12 step recovery program and was connected with many mental health and drug counsellors. He also attended programs at RVH (Royal Victoria Hospital) in Barrie and participated in several day treatments.
“I liked the fellowship, happy and welcoming people,” says Mathias about the recovery programs. “But I would continue to relapse. I wanted to get sober but I think we go to whatever we’re familiar with, and sometimes familiar places aren’t good places, but I was comfortable there.”
It was not until Mathias tried an eight-week program 'Out of Control' offered at RVH, that he began to see how destructive his path had become. He was finally ready for change and began to accept the help being offered to him.
“That was really great because it got me in touch with myself. These programs would give me knowledge and [although] knowledge alone wouldn’t get me sober, it helped me understand what made me tick; how I reacted to situations and not respond to situations properly,” shares Mathias. “I can blame a lot of different factors for my addictions, but the reality is, I didn’t like the way I felt when I was sober… I had to take full responsibility for my actions [and] that’s power in itself, I get to create my life.”
Mathias connected with a sponsor who was 30 years sober and continued to work with doctors, counsellors, pharmacists, and focus groups.
“Something shifted in me… I was tired and ready to make a change,” says Mathias.
One day at a time, Mathias worked to keep sober and provided valuable information to focus groups and healthcare committees which aided in their research studies on drug and alcohol abuse. Mathias was invited to speak at Georgian College about drug and substance addictions and shared his story to help students in social work programs. Mathias has been sharing his story for the past three years giving talks all over Ontario, and even one in Halifax.
“I like helping people for free. The help was freely given to me, so I feel like my help and experience should be given to others,” shares Mathias. “I’m no longer attracted to the ‘lifestyle’ I once lived. The drugs and alcohol are no longer a problem… today, the issue is to know how I’m feeling, to recognize how I feel and reach out to people when I need the help.”
To watch Mathias’ new video on YouTube, click here: Sobering Films #3 - Jorden 44 - YouTube
“The life I have today I owe 100 percent to recovery, to sobriety, and I also owe 100 percent to addiction and the fact that I wanted to die, because if I didn’t go through all that pain and suffering, I wouldn’t have found a spot where I was ready to ask for help – I haven’t looked back since.”
Mathias is a single father who moved to Alcona in September 2020 to be closer to family and for a change of scenery. He is a self-employed contractor specializing in kitchen and bathroom renovations.
