Hlynur Jónsson, hotel manager and artist, says he had one foot in the grave before undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction. In Sölva Tryggvason’s podcast, Hlynur says he found a new life after giving up completely. He credits his daughter for being a completely changed man.
“I scraped the bottom and did it all.” Whether it’s the trust of friends and family or other good things in life. I had become a daytime drinker and by the end I was completely exhausted in body and soul. But I had to hit rock bottom to be truly ready to change. No one else can tell you to go to therapy. If you can’t find it in yourself, it won’t work. It takes time to get to the point where you realize it’s nobody else’s fault where you are. It was actually my daughter who saved my life. She was my driving force in this process. I felt deep inside me that I was not going to offer him the scum that I had become. I was no longer a person who could take care of her, so it was either going to the grave or changing completely. She is my princess and I live for her and she played the biggest role in me being a completely changed person. But it was a long process to come back to life as a new person and the period after the alcohol left the system was very heavy and difficult. Getting rid of alcohol as such was only the first step. Libra is just drying up, but then the work of finding the reason for the drinking takes over. Then followed a period of great depression, frustration, guilt and other very difficult things. But little by little, I started to feel that I could come back and that I could change. “My family and friends let me know that I could come back if I changed, and I will always be grateful to them,” he says.
Moved to Iceland from Cyprus
Hlynur, who was educated in services and currently works as a hotel manager, recently returned to Iceland after living in Cyprus for a while. He went there just before the start of the Covid epidemic.
“Cyprus is just a dream in a box and truly a hidden pearl in the Mediterranean. I originally went there to set up a hotel reservation system and work in the industry I know But then came Covid and then it was closed to tourists and I had to find something else to do. I didn’t want to give up, even though there were very strict regulations around Covid and other obstacles, so i ended up partnering with a real estate agency and working there for two years it was a great time and an absolutely wonderful country in every way everything is very relaxed the weather really great and a very good quality of life. So it’s one of the safest countries in the world and the prices are really good. But Icelanders are quite used to traveling and this extra flight seems to bother people. But I sold real estate to Icelanders and now there are several Icelanders living there after buying real estate from me,” he says.
Attracted attention on social media
It was in Cyprus that Hlynur started posting a lot of social media content. Since then, he has garnered a lot of attention for his funny social media posts.
“I immediately decided that the main thing was to have fun with myself and others and to be myself as much as possible.” Only positive content gets into my media. I think there’s enough negativity there without me needing to add more. I get a lot of messages saying I’m dumb and stupid and stuff like that, but that’s how it is and I don’t let it get to me. If what I’m doing annoys you, but you keep watching it, that says more about you than it does about me. I’m not hurting anyone and just want to be myself and enjoy being there. Most people follow the norm in Iceland, whether it’s a way of dressing or something else, and it attracts attention if people are different. Some people think they have to let you know you should be different, but I let it flow like the wind around my ears. I decided at some point to be myself and entertain myself and others. I’m basically a pretty shy and reserved guy, so what I do on social media is also an outlet and an exercise in coming out of my shell,” he says.
Had a stroke
Hlynur says the only times he slowed down posting content was when his daughter had a seizure:
“There was a period where she got pushed around just because she was my daughter, and then I changed my tone a bit. It’s just supposed to be fun, and if it hurts my daughter, I won’t hesitate to back down. You certainly don’t control others and kids are kids, but luckily it was only a short time when my videos were widely circulated among people. Today, I think most people see that I’m just trying to spread positivity, and in the end it pays off,” he says.
The episode with Hlyni and all other Sölva episodes can be accessed at www:solvitryggva.is
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