Brandon Novak: From the Outhouse to The Capitol House
From the Outhouse Shooting Heroin, to the Capitol House Talking Recovery…the disease of Addiction does not discriminate. How did Brandon Novak get from there…to here?
“Accountability. One Day At A Time. Show up and Suit Up and Don’t Drink or Drug In Between” ~Brandon Novak
To most individuals, accountability simply means showing up when they say they will, and taking care of the responsibilities they have in their lives. For a Recovering Addict whose entire existence prior to getting clean is to lie, cheat and steal, or run and hide, accountability becomes one of the defining factors on whether they live, or whether they will die, in their active addiction. The main characteristic of the diseased mind of an addict, is denial. At it’s most extreme, denial convinces an addict that they do not have a problem with drugs/alcohol or that they are somehow capable of managing it. Accountability is a form of honesty and transparency, which directly opposes the denial of addiction and encourages a recovering addict to be honest with themselves (and others) while taking responsibility for their own lives. The intention of accountability for an addict is to build a foundation for a more fulfilling life, create self-worth and produce healthier relationships, without the use of chemicals. Accountability alone won’t get an addict clean, but it will help keep them there.
Before Brandon Novak got sober in 2015, after 20 years of active addiction, and countless attempts to get clean and STAY clean, personal accountability was practically non-existent in his world. A Professional Skateboarding Prodigy by the age of 14, he had already begun to discover the use of mind-altering chemicals (Marijuana and Alcohol) as a means to escape the pains and pressures of his day to day life. In his memoir [Dreamseller,2008] and in his sober speeches around the country, he shares stories about his father propping him up on Barstools at Strip Clubs when he was barely big enough to see over the bar. Brandon’s father would eventually succumb to the disease, leaving Brandon with the legacy and curse of his father’s addictive personality. By the age of 17, Brandon had already sabotaged his skateboarding career and endorsements and was regularly using Heroin, Cocaine, Pills and Alcohol while accruing a lengthy juvenile criminal record in his hometown of Baltimore, in the process.
I was first supposed to meet and interview Brandon Novak at a Summer Music Festival in Michigan in 2012. At that time, Brandon along with his friend Bam Margera, were touring around the country as Celebrity Guest Hosts for Clubs, Concerts, and Music Events. For Brandon Novak; Professional Skateboarding, Money, Fame, Failure, MTV/Jackass, Book Publishing, and multiple trips to jails and rehabs across the country had already happened and in the age of digital media, absolutely every success and failure that he experienced was filmed and documented for public viewing, judgement and consumption. Brandon had become the jackass amongst jackasses, the fall guy amongst an entire crew of fall guys and the public had already begun to question the validity of the entire “Jackass” crew’s antics. Sadly, for Brandon and his partners this was not a prank or a joke. Brandon was a full blown alcoholic and heroin junkie, tempting the boundaries of life and death on a daily basis. But, Promoters and agents continued to book him (and Bam) to host events.
Celebrity Guest Appearances are the best (and the worst gigs) in the entertainment industry. Generally speaking, at these types of events, the celebrity guest isn’t expected to perform much, they just have to show up, hang out for awhile, do a Meet & Greet, take some pictures with fans. All while enjoying Free Booze, constant adulation, and collecting a hefty sum of money for it. As Brandon now speaks about it in his recovery talks… “He got paid $10,000 a day to party.” A dream gig for an active addict. Show up. Get drunk. Get High. Collect a check. Sign your death Certificate…
In 2012, as I stood in the Festival Media Tent on a bright and sunny morning in Mid-Michigan, with a dozen or so other media professionals, rumors began to circulate that Brandon and Bam might not show up. It was already close to (2) two hours past their scheduled appearance time, in which they were supposed to answer questions from the media, then announce the first band from the Main Stage to kick-off the festival. While we waited, several of us attempted to call the Promoters and Stage Sponsors trying to find out what was going on. Finally, we were told that some type of argument or altercation between Bam/Brandon and the promoters had occurred backstage and they had left the festival. In the media tent as we packed our gear and headed back to the Festival Main Grounds, we were fully aware that the few thousand kids loitering around the Main Stage waiting for them, were going to be disappointed that day. The very kids who made Brandon (and Bam) rich and famous for being Skater Jackasses and Stuntmen on MTV, these poor kids, who probably spent their entire paychecks or allowances on Festival Tickets, were about to find out that these guys, really were Jackasses and they pulled off a stunt at their expense, they weren’t coming.
Several months after that Festival, a Promoter contacted me and asked if I would take some photos at a Halloween Costume Party at a Club that Bam Margera and Brandon Novak were supposed to be judging. I reluctantly agreed, on the premise of it being a free night out for me, and armed with the knowledge that it was possible Brandon/Bam wouldn’t show up. The club had a roped off V.I.P Lounge Area and by the time I arrived at the Club about an hour before the Costume Contest was scheduled to start, Bam and Brandon were in the lounge area and there was a long line of kids waiting to meet them and take a photo. I made my way to the booth where Brandon and Bam were sitting, introduced myself as the photographer and as I grabbed Brandon’s hand to shake it, he pulled me in closer to him and whispered in my ear “You’re the photographer? Do you have any party favors?” I responded “What are you looking for”? He said “Boy. But anything will do.” I spent the next 45 minutes, asking every kid that stepped into the V.I.P. Booth if they had anything for Brandon. He eventually, scored some Xanax and tilted his glass in my direction, wanting a refill. He was drinking a dark liquid in a Wine Glass, I couldn’t imagine that he could be sipping wine, so I mistakenly thought he had Jaeger in the glass, so I grabbed the nearest cocktail waitress and asked her to bring him another glass of Jaegermeister. Brandon took the Xanax, sipped his drink and sunk deeper down into the booth he was sitting in. For the next 45 minutes, he propped his limp arms around every kid that sat next to him while I snapped photos of them together. He barely moved, and he rarely spoke above a mumbled whisper. Eventually, Bam got onstage to judge the Costume Contest alone. Brandon didn’t get up until the Contest was over and Bam’s Wife told him, it was time to go. She gathered him up and shuffled him out the door into their waiting van.
In December, 2017, I met Brandon Novak, Clean & Sober for the first time, in Ann Arbor, Michigan at a RecoveryLive! Event hosted by Unite To Face Addiction (UFAM). I cried when confessing to him that I helped him get high once. He said “Don’t worry about it, I would have found it anyway” and when I told him about the Music Festival in Michigan, he said he didn’t even remember being there at all.
In May, 2018, he spoke at the State Capitol, in Lansing, Michigan. In attendance were Recovering Addicts, and Advocates, Men, Women, and Children of all ages and from all walks of life, from multiple cities across the state and around the country, as well as Michigan State Legislators, Nurses, Police Officers, EMT’s, and Treatment Facilities united for one cause: to Fight Addiction and the Heroin Epidemic that has ravaged our states and our country.
Today, Brandon Novak is accountable.
At nearly 3 years sober, Brandon is a changed man. He has re-invented himself as a Recovery Advocate and spends his days traveling, touring and sharing his story in Jails, Rehabs and Recovering Communities across the country. He does Television and Radio Broadcasts in every city he visits and shares the message of recovery. He maintains personal interaction with fans on his social media and publicly posts his telephone number, making it available for anyone who calls looking for help getting into a recovery program. His Bestselling book “Dreamseller” first published in 2008, has been updated with a foreword by Tony Hawk. In March of 2018 he assisted in opening a Banyan Treatment facility in Philadelphia.
In his own words he was the “un-helpable” the “un-treatable”, the guy everybody gave up on, a homeless junkie living in an abandoned garage in the worst neighborhood in Baltimore. He had no job, no money, no car and at one particularly low point, he didn’t even have a pair of underwear or socks to cover his drug addled body. There was nobody left who had any faith or belief in him. If he can recover, anybody can…
“As long as you are still breathing, there is a chance that you can recover” -Brandon Novak
If you or a loved own is struggling with addiction you can call Brandon Novak Cell # (610-635-9092) or Banyan Treatment Center (954-533-7705)
www.banyantreatmentcenter.com
Category: Interviews
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