BRAND NEW | CURSIVE | AN HORSE - CANADA AUG 2012

newcastle-rp:

Justin Murray | 35 years old | Alcoholic, Depression | FC: Damon Cox | Open

Yes, I am very disappointed with myself. Every morning I wake up and think, “Oh, maybe I can still fix this.” Then I remember that I can’t. It hits you pretty hard, realizing you don’t get a second chance.

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Bio: Think of something that you treasure. Something you’re passionate about, that is the reason you wake up in the morning and the reason you look forward to the day. I’m sure we all have something like that. Now imagine that precious thing being taken away from you. Just like that, it’s gone. You can never get it back, and the worst part is that it’s all your fault. That’s what life is like for Justin. From a young age, Justin and everyone around him could see that he was very, very talented. His parents would tell everyone that “he was singing before he could walk.” And he was, and he sang every day for hours at a time. He never needed singing lessons, not even for a few changes or adjustments. His voice was perfect, and it stayed that way all through his teenage years. He formed a band with his friends, and people were soon driving from miles around to hear this kid sing. At 25, he released his first album, making himself and his parents very proud.

And then the bad times came. His father, who had been battling lung cancer, had a sudden decline in his health. He died when Justin was 30, and he was never the same. Lost without his dad, he began drinking. He had an addictive personality, and the drinking soon consumed him. He stopped singing, using all his money on alcohol, never leaving the house. It got the the point where he was in a constant hangover-like state, but was still drunk at the time. The band fell apart, and soon Justin was alone, for even his mother refused to care for him while he was like this. Finally, a visit from a former band member snapped him out of it, telling him to go see a doctor. During his appointment, he found out the real state of his health. High blood pressure, cirrhosis, anaemia, and worst of all, damage to his vocal cords. When he tried singing, his once smooth and beautiful voice came out scratchy and pitchy, and it caused him a sharp pain in the throat. The realization that he would never be able to sing again broke Justin. He fell into depression, not wanting to carry on with life, thinking he had no purpose anymore. He continued drinking, despite the doctor’s warnings and the damage it was doing to him physically and mentally. Finally, his mother came around, and with the help of his doctor, got him to Newcastle

• Justin doesn’t really care he’s here. He doesn’t really care about anything, honestly.
• He often hears Kylie singing, and the sound of her voice confuses and fascinates him at the same time.
• He’s dealing with alcohol withdrawal symptoms that leave him with exhaustion and a pounding headache.

like what is happening…

An Horse talks about meeting Tegan and Sara and some Australian slang (x)