When Ken died in February 2021, we had an outpouring of messages from readers, with many telling us how much his columns meant to them. In light of that, we thought we would go back through our files and re-publish some of his columns. Ken would be flattered by the kind words readers expressed. We miss him as a friend and as a storyteller.

I’m thinking about writing one of those “how to” books.

My book will be called How to Quit Drinking in 50 Years. It’s going to be a reflection of someone’s life as the years roll by, and the person is lost and caught in a cycle of extreme addictions.

However, as the years come and go, the person finally starts to realize life is only life if it’s free from addictions. The heart and soul of the person starts to open when the person has an epiphany of a higher power. Of course it’s taken 50 years to do it, but finally freedom is real.

I don’t know too much about life, only what l have experienced. But there is something I know a lot about and that is addictions.

Most of it comes from my own personal experiences. I’ve been writing in the Saskatoon area for more than 25 years. During this time, I’ve written about my own journey, not in search of sympathy but, rather, hoping someone can relate and realize they are not alone.

There is hope and there are people out there with open hearts. They will listen and help.

When my own recovery started, it was the shame part that got me. I didn’t want anyone to know the true extent of my addictions. Years later, I discovered my family and friends knew all along. The only person I was fooling was me.

lt needs mentioning that my addictions were extreme. I’m not talking about grabbing a beer for a Saturday night drink and rolling a fatty. I’m talking about needle marks up and down both arms.

I was one of those who said it would never happen to me. It came to a point where I couldn’t wear white shirts because the blood would seep through the material. T-shirts in the summer were out of the question.

I’ve done many things in my life, some of them bad and some good, but my proudest achievement today is I can show my arms with absolutely no needle marks. It’s been a long battle, but it’s been over a decade since I finally starved the dragon.

What helped was my desire to stop and educate myself as to why I am the way I am. The one thing I never lost was my First Nations identity.

When my addictions would spiral out of control, I would always run back to my traditional culture. It was sometimes the only piece of dignity I could cling to. The best teachers I had were people who had once travelled the same path and were now walking a path of freedom.

My desire to learn about my addictions brought me to the famed Nechi Institute. This is where alcohol and drug counselors go to learn about addictions so they can help others. In my case, I had no intentions of helping anyone, but simply to gain an understanding of my worst enemy — me.

My new book would follow the follow of those Chicken Soup books.

The stories should be inspiring. I might even call the book Hangover Soup: Stories for the Spirit.

• Ken Noskye