ADDICT GIVES BACK

Strung out, Matthew Jacques looked at the face staring back at him
in the mirror.

He resembles a skid row bum, not a man living in a million dollar house.

It took a month-long binge consisting of cocaine, crack, crystal
meth, alcohol and other hard drugs, to get the 34-year-old to seek help.

"My wife (ex now) was away in Europe for a month and one night I
stole my brother-in-law's truck to meet a dealer," recalls Jacques.
"Two days later my father-in-law confronted me and I put myself in a
treatment centre."

The road to alcohol and drug addiction started early in Jacques'
life. He grew up an "Airforce brat" - his dad moving the family
several times across the country.

"I started huffing Pam cooking oil at the age of nine," says the
Richmond Honda salesman, who dubs himself Miracle Matt. "I was
insecure and even though my parents were supportive, great parents I
was shy and always tried very hard to have everyone like me.

"From Pam I went to alcohol at 11, stealing my parents booze and by
16 I was hooked on weed and any other drug I could get my hands on."

The death of his best friend Paul at the age of 16 after a night of
binge drinking "made me spiral down." (Ironically, Paul was killed
by a drunk driver when he drunkenly walked onto a dark road).

Jacques dove into self pity and loathing.

"I was really angry, I felt dead and I took myself to a point of no
return," says Jacques, adding he came from a very loving family. "I
crossed the moral line and every day was hell in my head."

Today, sober for more than two years, Jacques is making amends.

He is raising money for Canucks for Kids, bringing his message of
drug and alcohol addiction to students at schools across the Lower
Mainland. He also sponsors addicts trying to get clean. He's gone a
step further by committing five per cent of his car sales to his
nonprofit organization, The Miracle Matt Foundation - Jacques came
up with Miracle Matt because he truly believes "it's a miracle I'm
still alive today."

"I give the money to Canucks for Kids fund," says Jacques. "I'm
getting some corporate sponsorship to match what I give."

So far, he's handed the Canucks for Kids about $2500 and this week
is handing another $1,000, but he wants to raise much, much more.

"Hopefully this year, I will be able to raise $10,000 and the sky's
the limit for the years to come," says Jacques, who looks the
picture of health. "I'm hoping to sell 50/50 tickets at the Canucks
games this coming year on my stilts."

Stilts, you ask? Yes, Jacques struts around on his stilts and dons a
Canucks jersey.

"It's simply a way to have people recognizes me,' says Jacques.

When Jacques speaks to students (from grades four to 12), his
message is simple: "You have a choice, to do or not to do."

Besides telling his harrowing story of addiction, he tells them
what's out there, although he adds: "most kids already know what
drugs are available."

"Drugs know no social boundaries, I recently met with a heart
surgeon who's addicted to cocaine,' says Jacques.

As far as his recovery goes, Jacques says it's a daily "spiritual
maintenance."

"I still crave drugs but I have tools and people I can reach out to
for help... I have a guaranteed antidote,' he quips.

Teachers interested in having Miracle Matt speaks to their students,
can reach him at miracle-matt@hotmail.com.