TheBRENDANjsmPROJECT
TheBRENDANjsmPROJECT has been created to help those struggling with addiction and alcoholism - and their friends and family - by offering guidance, fellowship and support in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties...one day at a time. As many who have gone before us know, all that is needed is a decision to ask for help.
TheBRENDANjsmPROJECT
for Visual Artists, Actors, Dancers, Singers, Writers, Musicians and others suffering from alcoholism and addiction
Our son Brendan struggled with addiction and alcoholism half his life before he lost the battle on February 21, 2019 - he relapsed, over-dosed and passed away. And, as is usual with many alcoholics and addicts, he died alone. This website is dedicated to his memory and is here to help other artists to get sober and live normal lives.
My name is Jack - Brendan's dad, a recovering alcoholic who got sober 26 years ago just before my 50th birthday. The reason I got sober is that I couldn't stand the thought of living another 50 years drinking and drugging, and I couldn't stand myself. Over the last years I have attended thousands of AA meetings in many different towns, states and countries, and I spent 10 years doing after-hours phone duty for my local AA office. The phone calls were from people who wanted to stop drinking or using, or from family members trying to save their loved ones from destroying their lives, staying out of jails or hospitals or psych wards.
If you need help, let me know. We have money that was donated after Brendan's passing to help other artists get sober. If you want to go to rehabilitation or a treatment facility, but don't have enough money to afford it, we can help with advice, consultation and small donations ranging from $100 to $500 (payable to the facility or program of your choice).
Send an email describing who you are and what you are doing to battle addiction and alcoholism, and we will see what we can do to help you. All correspondence will be confidential.
ABOUT BRENDAN
Brendan was a born artist. As a little boy on cross country airline flights with his parents, he would spend hours creating one piece of art after another, often times giving them away to flight attendants and amused fellow passengers. He made a decision to attend a private arts academy for high school, and then was accepted to and graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA. While enrolled there, he also spent a semester at University College London studying art.
Along the way, and then as a young man, he suffered setbacks due to alcohol and drug use, resulting in several treatment programs that provided temporary relief and stretches of abstinence. He displayed his artwork on Instagram where he had thousands of followers. He was six months sober with plans for a major showcase of his artwork before he passed away. His art show was held posthumously. It was a public and critical success.
