STICK WITH THE WINNERS! –
Aug. 4, 2026 – Issa Ibrahim is a visual artist, author, musician and filmmaker. He hopes his story of resilience and survival will inspire greater compassion and a deeper understanding of our relationship to the gift and curse of mental illness, drug abuse, art, and the art of living.
Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?
A. Marijuana was my drug of choice. It was normalized and encouraged in the jazz/artsy/Bohemian household I came from. Everyone who came over smoked. It was a constant pot party. I didn’t realize I had a predisposition for addiction and psychosis. It’s been a wild ride. I’ve got over a decade clean time now. I stopped just as it became legal in my state … ironic.
Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?
A. I was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York. During the 50s and 60s it was a haven for Black entertainers to buy a house and raise their children in some degree of suburban sanity. Of course, they all smoked marijuana in abundance so naturally things went wrong. I am but a cautionary tale.
Q. What is one word you would use to describe yourself?
A. Resilient.
