The truth behind my complete destruction.

schlopy

Member
What’s good NS!?

You may or may not have noticed but I completely Houdini’d shortly after future spinning... and I may have actually believed I was in the future!

Here is what happened at the end of my career (so far ;) ) that led to losing everything.

I think some of you can benefit from this...

— This post is explicit and VERY deep —

None of this is easy to write.

Up until now, I could count on one hand the people that know this.

This is real. I’m not the only person going through these things. I want to share to expand knowledge and give an inside perspective.

Please keep in mind... I am NEVER trying to tell anyone what to do. That shit is on you 😉

Also... I absolutely do not have everything figured out. I am trying to organize my thoughts and learn.

I am not looking for attention.

I figure it would be helpful to share...

One of the BIGGEST keys to getting by day to day life for me is reminding myself that the world is exactly what I make it. If I live in a negative thought dominant world, then everything around me seems negative and if I don’t catch myself in these thoughts... then that negativity will continuously grow and eventually at an exponential rate.

A lot of negative things happened. I blamed myself.

Next thing you know I was back to being cold. The pain of my ill perceived world became overwhelming... and I turned evil. I mean fucking evil. I go to absurd lengths to try and hurt myself and also horribly hurting others... and I didn’t even realize it.

When I reached that level of numb, I block out so many positive emotions that I become cold. I was exhausted and stuck in a dark world only seeing and feeling heart demolishing negativity and only identifying the world around me with that negativity, which lead to heavy heavy depression and savage anger that seemingly could only be escaped with drugs. Drugs take away the pain. Drugs also falsely identify as love, happiness, friendship... everything good that I would not, could not, see or feel before.

Eventually I found solace at the homeless shelter in $10 bags of “life” for the majority of every day. Alone I would float, mindless, content, focused... on drugs. The rest of my day I spent relentlessly searching everywhere, mostly in or around dumpsters, for something to turn for profit, which would turn into drugs.

Needing drugs to cope with my emptiness/emotional void = selling everything to my name. Eventually breaking into cars, stealing things that I did not earn, and I did not deserve. In my broken mind I deserved it.

I AM NOT a thief. I am so fucking heartbroken by the fact that I had become the person that people fear. A person who disregarded morals. I’m not saying people are scared of me... but knowing what I was able to do without feeling... is the scariest thing of all.

My excuse for doing all of these fucked up drugs... “it’s ok- it’s just for fun” “I’m not addicted, I can stop whenever!”

Eventually these thoughts subsided and I simply needed drugs to cope... and barely cope at that.

I 100% believed that I could only exist at the capacity at which I had accepted the world wanted of me if I was so high I basically did not exist.

I believed that I was the most horrible person on earth. I couldn’t understand why the world was so evil and relentless.

I believed the world wanted me gone.

I wanted myself gone.

My sadness and self hatred eventually took control of me and I threw in the towel.

I was under the influence of drugs, alcohol, and depression one night, remembering very emotionally destroying occurrences (One very prominent example is missing the Olympics by less than half of a point, others were much more personal) I jumped off a cliff ranging somewhere between 80-100ish feet high. Not on skis. Not into snow.

I died on impact.

I saw so many people whom I missed and idolized. I wanted to be with them. They told me I had not served my purpose on earth. I started screaming and begging them to let me stay...

I came to on a beach. I was alone. It was 3am. I crawled and limped about 1/4-1/2 mile down the shore to find any street possible and called myself an ambulance.

I found myself in the ICU with brain bleeding and punctured bleeding lungs.

I was supposed to be in the hospital for a long time... and I was 100% convinced that it wouldn’t take that long.

I was right.

Less than a week after admittance, I was released and cleared by a doctor.

This was a miracle.

And it wasn’t enough.

A few months later on an absolutely beautiful sunny day just before Christmas, with a fresh blanket of snow coating the ground, I was toggling with the pressure I was applying to the trigger of a gun which was resting against my temple.

The scary thing is... I wasn’t scared.

I started to apply more consistent and heavy pressure to the cold metal piece as continued playing the horrible things in my head over and over. Finally I could put these thoughts to rest and do the world and myself a favor.

The trigger grew closer to the grip as my grip tightened. I closed my eyes...

My dad called.

He called with news that someone very very close to me had just lost their mother, who happened to be like a second mom to me, by taking her own life.

I immediately turned my truck around and drove home. I had a breakdown. Just like other times, I blamed myself.

Built up sadness from so many horrible experiences along with anger, hatred, and loneliness strengthened my drug use to a deadly level.

Recipe for survival:

Heroin, crack, Xanax... everyday. I mean EVERY day. (1-3g heroin (BLK-Black) or 60-500mg OxyContin), 0.5-3.0g of white (crack) 2-10mg Xanax (bars, busses, etc)

A SHIT load.

Hundreds of dollars a day.

Meth, alcohol, coke, Molly, thizz (ecstasy), sassafras, OxyContin, morphine, oxymorphone, weed... etc... on occasion... definitely more than occasional— meaning not reliant on, but would use if in the presence of, or absence of other drugs and also would use additionally to the primary drugs.

Nothing... not even those drugs, could numb the absolute hatred within.

The truth behind the drug abuse? I wasn’t just physically addicted. I was IN LOVE. I absolutely loved the freedom I got from my emotions with these “supplements” (I consider drugs a supplement for lost emotions...) (I am just figuring this out as i write!) Basically, I affiliated drugs with happiness and love— the only happiness and love I could ever feel with the sad lonely darkness ravaging my perception of this fucking BEAUTIFUL life that I am so damn blessed to have the opportunity to live and fuckin dominate!

I have finally taken the time to deal with my forgotten emotions and focus on the good things as well now.

I am happy to be alive.

I hope any of this helps.

The world that some people are in is not the same as your world... and reminding them of that doesn’t help.

Remind people you love them. Tell them the good things. We need to hear it.

So, there’s a little insight as to why I haven’t been around.

I plan to be back.

Keep shredding and keep lovin!
 
Damn schlopy it takes a big man to admit issues and to overcome them I hope you are able to recover and make a potential comeback
 
Just for the record — I went to rehab 6 months ago, and I am free from that darkness, for the first time since I was 18.

I understand that generally this is a life long battle, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to stop fighting.

By that I mean I will no longer fight off the positivity in my life and in the world ;)
 
Jeez that was a heavy read. I'm glad you've beat your demons now and I only hope they don't come back. Good on you for writing this and posting it, it takes a lot to even do that
 
Awesome to hear you're rebounding and enjoying life again!

I think it's important for all of us to accomplish goals on our own terms, so don't feel like you have anything to prove to others. If anything, you've showed us that you're a damn good skier and are a motivated and positive dude.
 
Congrats. That is all very hard to admit to friends and family, let alone the internet
 
This has helped me put into perspective what both of my brothers in law have been dealing with for the last few years. A different point of view (yours) was a big help for me to deal with this. Many thanks and stay strong.
 
I should clarify...

I plan to be back on some level or another.

Amazingly I feel not just fine, but better than before as far as cognitive functions, including equilibrium.

I have skied since I was 2, I love skiing. It’s been my life... so I plan to keep skiing, and I will continue to push myself!

I’m not sure of what will happen. However, I know it will be something. Haha

I really want to show people how things can end up when you are too hard on yourself and lose yourself to addiction / depression.

I can tell you personally that the light is there. Even when you’ve tossed hundreds of thousands - millions of dollars in the trash, purposefully destroying an amazing career, pawning every belonging besides trophies and medals once everything else was gone, hiding from and hurting friends and family... and eventually surviving suicide.

Please feel free to use me as an example of what not to do in life.

Life is amazing and beautiful and I have every intention of getting my life back!

Thank Allah for skiing eh?! Best drug on earth.
 
Glad to hear that the future is looking bright, can't wait for 2160. Keep up the positive outlook, don't stop fighting, get to where you want to be, and never take a step in the wrong direction. As cheesy as it might be to say, I think Immortal tech puts it best when he says, "So when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never, because a dance with the devil might last you forever".
 
Holy hell, thats a heavy read. Glad to hear you're going better now man. Thanks for sharing your story; I know it will help at least one person out there.
 
Mad props Schlopy thanks for putting yourself out there like this. Takes a lotta courage man! I've been a fan since i saw your segment in Attack of La Nina, it inspired me to start getting after it in the pow because you made it look so fun. I'm really proud of the work you've put in keep on killing it
 
13868443:schlopy said:
You must be thinking of vision.

Idk a portion of this sounded like my mind, probably not the best thing but ive done an aight job at combating it, just gotta not slip up for another like 60 years is all. PS your dope when are you going to start getting back into comps and filming if ever?
 
Damn.

Can't believe this. Glad you are still around. That's a terrifying journey - and it says so much that you are brave enough to let everyone know what's up. Can't wait to see you get back on track.
 
13868448:Deepskier said:
Idk a portion of this sounded like my mind, probably not the best thing but ive done an aight job at combating it, just gotta not slip up for another like 60 years is all. PS your dope when are you going to start getting back into comps and filming if ever?

I was measin with you my dude!

Be careful of the image you paint of yourself! Try and remember to paint awesome shit! You have the power to create anything you want. Why not make it amazing!

None of those thoughts are bad. That shit is natural and there’s no shame in addressing the tough shit!
 
that was a crazy read after watching your skiing career boom and fade away, the strength it took to put all of that down is impressive and glad to hear things are looking up! Skiing can help heal alot of things i find, get back after it!
 
13868452:schlopy said:
I was measin with you my dude!

Be careful of the image you paint of yourself! Try and remember to paint awesome shit! You have the power to create anything you want. Why not make it amazing!

None of those thoughts are bad. That shit is natural and there’s no shame in addressing the tough shit!

I suppose, this thread is defiantly a reminder of reality. Are you based out of park city now?
 
Damn Schlopy props for takin a huge step and sharing that. I’m sure you’re gonna help out a lot of people who read this, just because they might feel a deeper connection to another skier. Stoked for you and for working towards a more prospective and positive life!! Hope to see some stuff from you soon, keep it up man.
 
Thats a heavy read... The hatred, anger, depression, and negativity hit home with me. It's a mixture that can cause anyone's life to go down hill. It's that exact concoction that'll end anyone's desire to do what they love... Skiing. I'm glad you're better.

**This post was edited on Dec 15th 2017 at 12:05:47am
 
Schlopy, this is heavy. props for taking the time to share your stories with the world man-the impact it has can't be measured but you can be sure it has made a difference in somebody's life and will continue to do so as it circulates. As a community, skiing does a great job of promoting stoke and high times (which we all love) but depression, addiction and pain are a part of life as well and skiers are not immune. I hope your story and others like it inspire us to support each other to make an even stronger community. If you feel like it, there was a great article written on a similar subject here on NS (https://www.newschoolers.com/news/read/Unbuckling-suicide-belt ). It may be worth your time to reach out and maybe have a discussion with Lydia (the author of the article...PM me and I can put you in contact) or somebody else from the NS journalism team to put your story down and share it further.

Much Love! Wherever you go, whatever you do the skiing community has your back.
 
13868365:schlopy said:
Just for the record — I went to rehab 6 months ago, and I am free from that darkness, for the first time since I was 18.

I understand that generally this is a life long battle, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to stop fighting.

By that I mean I will no longer fight off the positivity in my life and in the world ;)

Good to hear man. That was the first thing I was going to ask you. Are you going to meetings at all/surrounding yourself with good people? Hope all is well. That's some rough shit. Unfortunately it's all too easy to fall into sometimes.

You're alive though, and doing well, that's awesome. Hopefully you can get back on the slopes a bit this winter.

Hang in there man! Life's a fucked up crazy journey sometimes. Shit gets fucked up, it's wild, but you're still here today and from the sounds of it the future is looking up.

Best of luck with your journey into the future man! You got this!
 
13868365:schlopy said:
Just for the record — I went to rehab 6 months ago, and I am free from that darkness, for the first time since I was 18.

I understand that generally this is a life long battle, and I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to stop fighting.

By that I mean I will no longer fight off the positivity in my life and in the world ;)

Recognize that you will still experience good times and bad times in the future. It may feel like there will be no more ups when you’re down; conversely, when you’re up, it often feels like there will be no more downs. But that’s just a mindset, it is not logical. There will be ups and there will be downs, so prepare to take the ups with grace and downs with strength.

There’s a lot of shitty shit that happens in the world. It happens to everybody. When taken personally it is easy to reflect that negativity back outwards. Stay strong and try to stay positive. All one can do is make one decision at a time and try not to add to the world’s shittyness.

The shred community is relatively small, but the support is immense. We deal with a lot of inherent tragedy in the mountains and in life as we tend to party hard and generally push ourselves to extremes. Accidents happen and death is hard enough to cope with, but suicide leaves everyone close to you with an emptiness and sense of guilt that is unimaginable. Please please please please PLEASE (to anyone reading this) know that there is someone out there that loves you and cares about your well-being and will be devastated if you take your own life.

Reach out if you need to.

And good luck, Schlopy.
 
Dear Alex,

I hope you read this, as I speak for myself, (and I'm sure many others) I idolize you. I love this sport because every athlete is unique, talented and an artist. Thank you, for being open, for being yourself, and for setting an example. Find no shame in emotion, find no shame in love.

Peace, One Love.
 
Never stop fighting the demons!

I've been a fan since you had a park segment with tgr way back in the day. I could tell you had effortless style and appreciated your sick grabs and off-axis rotations right away.

I've also had people break into my car so many times I stopped locking the doors at my last place between Colfax and Cherry Creek in Denver. It was uber annoying but I never blamed them. I just just never kept valuables in there.

Now that you've faced your demons I really hope you have a solid plan to find work and get yourself back on snow. But remember anything can become addicting from social media to food and sex and even skiing. It's just that drugs are physically and chemically addicting on top of the mental addiction. The key to life is achieving a balance of the less dangerous addictions.
 
It’s easy to die, it takes a real man to keep on living and flourishing through the dark times (that’s a cheery statement I heard once but makes sense!). Good on you Alex and best of luck! Hopefully you’re surrounded by good support and community, because you sure are on NS, super uplifting to see the response, would love to see more of your skiing in the future.
 
Dude, I have so much respect for you about writing this. I can relate to a lot of these feelings from happenings in my own life and it's good to hear that someone as prominent as yourself also went through that kind of shit and has come out of it with a positive outlook. Big love x
 
Dude, this is by far the heaviest post on NS. I’m so happy that you’ve survived this and are on the road to recovery, Alex. Thank you for sharing this deeply personal struggle with the world, that’s insanely brave of you. I can help but wonder 2 things - and obviously feel free to no answer, because they’re fairly personal - did you get hooked on opioids after an injury, or just gradually work up them? And, do you think all of this is this part of the reason you went off on Gus after his coming out?
 
My ex wife did the same thing to almost the same extent. My kids and I lost literally everything. I don't like to talk about it really and I'm not a very public guy. She also has a lot of mental health issues. I forgive her, but at the same time I can never forget all of the things we went through, it was very sad, scary and dangerous.

Don't ever give up. There is always help available. Very happy to hear you're doing well. Looking forward to seeing you rode again!
 
damn, very proud to see the steps you've taken forward. this takes a whole lot of courage to put out in the public, and I tip my hat to ya schlop. welcome back!
 
Keep up the hard work. Your friends and family will appreciate having you around more than you know. I lost a good friend basically to crack and booze. No one wants to hear their friend or family member is dead on a park bench.

Hope you can keep this sobriety thing going.
 
Wow that was heavy as fuck. I’m friends with you on FB and would occasionally see some of your posts and they seemed really ducking weird but they are starting to make sense now. Good luck man, addiction is no joke.
 
I'm glad you posted this publicly. Takes a lot of guts to do. I'm praying for you man. And I'll do my best to keep praying for you. Keep searching for the truth
 
Back
Top