MARLIN, Texas — Marlin minister and motivational speaker George "Minister Slugger" Stricklin created a documentary titled ''LOST & FOUND' The Testimony of Minister Slugger. The goal of the documentary is to highlight his journey from darkness to light.
During Stricklin's teenage years, he suffered from depression and received professional help to help him get through this time. He said this was one of his dark periods in life.
"As I was overcoming this tough time, I became interested in music," said Stricklin. "While I was getting my life back on track, music was that ray of light for me."
From there, he began producing music for local artists. Success grew so much, he was able to produce songs on a gold and platinum album.
But during that time, Stricklin said he was drinking codeine and excessive amounts of alcohol.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse describes codeine as a cold medicine used to relieve mild to moderate pain, but is sometimes put in drinks like soda or juice to provide relaxation. Using codeine without following doctors orders could result in a slowed heart rate and sometimes death.
In 1999, Stricklin said he had a near death experience that changed his life forever.
He was drinking with friends when one of them made a bet that Stricklin could not finish a full bottle of an alcoholic drink named 'DeKuyper Hot Damn!', a drink that's 100 proof alcohol.
Stricklin said he took the challenge and downed the entire bottle. He passed out and his friends immediately called 911 then gave him two eggs to drink to quickly flush the alcohol out of his system.
The nurse at the hospital told him if it wasn't for his friends acting quickly, he would have died from alcohol poisoning.
"I should have known then that God had a purpose for my life because I should have died," Stricklin said. "But God saved my life. Do not make the foolish mistake and over consume alcohol like I did," Stricklin shared.
The documentary has intimate interviews with Stricklin's family and close friends and they shared how proud they were of him and how much he means to them and the community.
Stricklin hopes his documentary will help anyone who's living with an addiction or pushing towards sobriety to stay encouraged and keep believing in themselves.
"When I found my worth, I saw that those things I was doing were taking away from my purpose," said Stricklin. "Once you find your purpose, then life will take on a different meaning and life will be worth living,"
Check out Stricklin's full documentary here.