From addiction to art: The poetic rebirth of JayZed

·

JayZed isn’t your average affluent Melburnian eastern suburbs resident spinning suburban fairytales. Forget the manicured lawns and polite chit-chat—his life is a raw saga of high highs, crushing lows, drugs, money, heartbreak, and poetic rebirth. He’s a tradie with a past, an investor who lost it all, but along the way, he discovered a passion for poetry.

“A lot of memories here,” he says, inviting me into his childhood home. He takes out the briki and makes a Greek coffee, still bleary-eyed though it’s 10 am. “Sleep apnea,” he explains.

Everything inside the house is perfect and pristine, but he lives in a unit at the back—less ordered, chaotic, but more interesting.

“Nobody lives in this house now,” he says, remembering a childhood filled with life: weekend cricket games played by the Aussies down the road, his local primary school, and a diverse community that included fellow Greeks.

An admitted introvert, JayZed—his artistic alias—contrasts himself with his “life of the party” brother and father.

“I’m not one for small talk,” he states. “Almost every time there’s a lull in the conversation, they fill the space talking about the weather—just benign conversation.”

JayZed is a collector of arts and knick-knacks
JayZed is a collector of arts and knick-knacks.

Instead, he finds solace in observation and poetry, sharing his soul through a constant stream of text messages.

“My life, it turned like the wind has changes | I grabbed it and I held on for dear life | Always in awe, aware of the strangeness | Earning to live after going through strife…”

My phone pings with a steady stream of his poetry, sent at all hours—initially written for himself but now shared in bulk SMS. Monetisation doesn’t interest him.

His tradie success, once bringing in “an easy 400 grand a year,” proved hollow.

“I lost respect for money,” he confesses.

His “soulmate,” a Thai woman he met at a Doncaster over-28s club, was his anchor, but when family issues forced her to break things off, he spiraled.

“I was heartbroken when she kicked me out. Rejection was brutal,” he says.

At 41, he found himself drawn into a destructive cycle.

“It’s a fallacy that only young people can get caught up in drugs. There’s a guy I met at my mechanic. He introduced me to his friends, and they all started coming over for drugs. It was just a social thing, and I was okay. And then one day, I wasn’t,” he explains.

Addiction took hold.

“I just kept using. I just kept going there,” he says.

He sold a property, hoping to “get the hell out of Melbourne to break the routine,” but the bank seized the earnings to offset another loan, and things did not go as planned.

Amidst the chaos, poetry emerged.

JayZed enjoys a coffee and shares his poetry with me in his backyard
JayZed enjoys a coffee and shares his poetry with me in his backyard.

“It was around 2014 when I started writing poetry while I was still using,” he says. He views it as therapy.

“For me, it’s therapy when I write—whether it be about war, shit I’m going through, my ex, my sister, my brother—anything, you know. I write it down, it’s like therapy, and I just get it out.”

He doesn’t read poetry or poet biographies, preferring to explore his own expression. He writes at night, edits, and shares.

“Poetry got me through some of my hardest periods,” he recalls, remembering the discomfort, sweats, and restlessness of withdrawal.

JayZed’s path to sobriety was harrowing. “Yeah, it took me another three years to get off drugs,” he admits. His father’s attempt to “boot me out” was a turning point, but it was a health scare during COVID that provided the final break from drug use.

A gallbladder removal in 2020 forced him into recovery at his father’s house in Rosebud. His mother’s tears solidified his resolve, and he swore never to touch drugs again. He’s now “four years clean.”

Poetry has become a routine, a nightly ritual. He texts his work on his phone, re-reads it the next day, edits, and shares.

“Almost every night, I write something. Not all of them are good, you know—some of them are quite depressing…” he says.

Though he’d “love it if they got published,” he’s not actively chasing fame. He was thrilled when English teacher Denise Zapantis submitted his poem Hostile Instinct for the Greek Australian Cultural League’s Antipodes periodical.

JayZed’s story is one of raw honesty and hard-won wisdom. He’s a man who stared into the abyss and found his voice—a voice that speaks with unflinching clarity.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Greece said ‘no’ to Italians in WWII, but answered to a Roman name

On OXI Day, The Greek Herald reflects on how one word - “No” - continues to shape identity, language and belonging.

How Vietnam veteran Steve Kyritsis made it his work to honour forgotten WWII soldiers

For Vietnam veteran Steve Kyritsis OAM, what began as a request from the Greek Consulate 14 years ago has become a lifelong mission.

Young Greek Australians reflect on OXI Day and their cultural identity

OXI Day remains a symbol of hope and national pride in Greek history, especially for the younger generations.

St Demetrios Greek Orthodox church at St Marys hosts first-ever Paniyiri

People flocked to St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church at St Marys on Sunday to celebrate the feast day of the parish’s patron saint.

Kezilas family donates historic baptism record to Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane has received the first recorded Baptism Certificate issued in Australia, dating back to 1924.

You May Also Like

‘Australia’s greatest’: Harry Kewell on Celtic FC coach Ange Postecoglou

Harry Kewell has opened up about what it's like to work under Celtic FC manager and Greek Australian, Ange Postecoglou.

‘Dehumanising’: Sam Sarkis on Randwick’s Eurimbla Avenue being wiped off the map

Sam Sarkis has described how the compulsory acquisition of properties on Randwick's Eurimbla Avenue was 'dehumanised.'

NSW COVID crisis deepens: 239 new cases, tougher lockdown restrictions

NSW recorded 239 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday, the highest daily number since the pandemic began.