Drug Rehab Success Story: Josh Hamilton

Addiction can take you down some scary roads, but 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton reassures drug addicts that he is proof that hope is never lost. The following is a short excerpt from his book Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back:

“To let you know how far I’ve come, let me tell you where I’ve been.

Not that long ago, there were nights I went to sleep in strange places praying I wouldn’t wake up. After another night of bad decisions, I’d lie down with my heart speeding inside my chest like it was about to burst through the skin. My thinking was clouded, and my talent was one day closer to being totally wasted.

I prayed to be spared another day of guilt and depression and addiction. I couldn’t continue living the life of a crack addict, and I couldn’t stop, either. It was a horrible downward spiral that I had to pull out of, or die. I lay there — in a hot and dirty trailer in the North Carolina countryside, in a stranger’s house, in the cab of my pickup — and prayed the Lord would take me away from the nightmare my life had become.”

Josh, a former #1 overall draft pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in 1999, struggled with the same problems that many people struggle with today. He admits smoking crack at one point in his life like it was smoking cigarettes. But with the help of his wife, family, and personal will power, Josh was able to put his addiction in the past–he claims to have not touched any drugs or alcohol since 2005. Crack addiction can be either social or solitary. Although it is not a party drug like ecstasy or crystal meth, people often gather to smoke it in crack houses. Conversely, people who are using crack in an attempt to escape depression or other mental illnesses will often smoke it alone. Regardless of how you or your loved one got to the point of crack addiction, the recovery is the main concern. Behavioral interventions—particularly, cognitive-behavioral therapy—have been shown to be effective for decreasing crack-cocaine use and preventing relapse. Treatment must be tailored to the individual patient’s needs in order to optimize outcomes—this often involves a combination of treatment, social supports, and other services. These kind of treatment options are available at Seabrook. Seabrook is an internationally recognized private and exclusive inpatient drug rehab and alcoholism detox treatment center who has achieved an elite CARF accreditation status, ensuring that our rehab patients receive the highest quality treatment. Take a lesson from Josh Hamilton and realize that hope is never lost; get started on your recovery today.