Anthony’s Story: The Ripple Effect
I grew up on the west side of Chicago. My mom was a drug addict, and my dad is still an alcoholic. Needless to say, I had a pretty rough childhood. Constant fighting, separation, dysfunction, and chaos was the norm. Once I was old enough to understand that drugs and alcohol was at the center of all these horrific situations, I became angry and resentful toward them and these substances that were the center of it all.
From the time I was in the 6th grade until the time that I dropped out in the beginning of my sophomore year, I was in 12 different schools, never having the opportunity to really make or keep friends. I became even more angry and resentful. I refused to put in any work to learn anything the days that I actually didn’t ditch school. So again, needless to say, I had next to zero education.
At the age of 15 and 1/2 , I ran away from home and didn’t speak to anyone in my family again until I was 32. What’s crazy is all those things that I hated, all those things that I had run from in the first place, I became. I found that drugs and alcohol helped me to fit in. It helped me to not be so afraid. But most of all, it helped me escape all the hardships I experienced as a kid.
Jail stays got longer and consequences became greater. I was in and out of trouble my entire life until about 11 years ago when I finally committed to the 12 steps. For the first time in a long time, I found myself still sober for an entire month. Then two, then six, and so on. Those 12 steps literally changed my life.
Now fast forward to here and now. I moved up here a little over a year ago. One of my family’s properties was completely trashed by people on drugs, and while in there cleaning it up and repairing everything that was broken, I kind of had a vision. This property would make an amazing sober living home. I shared my thoughts and my family’s response was ‘make it happen.’ So, we started a nonprofit sober living facility.
Now here I am, still pretty uneducated and even worse at computer skills in a world where EVERYTHING is ‘online.’ I am extremely grateful to find this organization and through the volunteer teachers here who sacrifice time away from their families and their personal lives, show up to teach us. What a gift. Through their teaching, I am now able to better serve our organization and our mission, which is going to impact people’s lives and our community for years to come.
Tyler Sjostrom – “Fixer Upper”
“I’ve had my own struggles with addiction. Working on this project has been a powerful and humbling full-circle experience.
From the minute I met Anthony, I knew he was someone I’d be able to relate to because a lot of these stories are similar in certain ways, and ours are too. It’s been an honor getting to know him and bringing his story out in this song. We’ll be connected for life now.”
Tyler Sjostrom – Bio
In 2023, TYLER SJ. (formerly of Fox Valley act The Relics) returned to Appleton stages after nearly five years away with a new story to tell. Fatherhood and mental-health challenges had changed his outlook, and this hard-earned perspective informed his first solo collection of original songs, “Long Bit of Weather,” released in April of 2024. In the years since, Tyler has released a WAMI-finalist full-length original holiday album, “A Little Peace,” and a handful of well-received singles, with another album planned for later this year. As a live performer, Tyler is a born storyteller who plugs his various influences - 90's pop and country, acoustic folk, verbose balladry - into a playlist-ready group of tunes that listeners will find immediately familiar. On special occasions, you can catch his songs in a full-band format as “Tyler & the Ess Jays.” As Avenue Radio 91.1's Ann Koenig observed,"You can add Tyler Sj. to the already deep bench of talented singer/songwriters in NE Wisconsin. Rich guitar and vocals, authentic and relatable lyrics, entertaining stage banter – a Tyler Sj. set is always time well-spent."