Drug Craving Gone In An Instant

Meeting people at every stage in life is satisfying, particularly those who have fallen to sickness or drugs and made a tremendous come back. Recently I had the opportunity to interview Gregory Hammonds who had been a drug addict for over 20 years.

I wanted to understand the drug culture because I have someone in my family who is heading in that direction. Gregory walked me through a day in the life of a drug addict: getting up early, early in the morning, trying to beat the other homeless guys to the soda cans to buy your first drink or hit of the day, working at picking up cans, or trying to hustle something from sun up to sun down.

Gregory had my ear for a few hours, talking about sleeping on the street, always prepared to make your home wherever you are, using what is available. He told me about sleeping under houses, covering up with newspaper to keep warm, under tables to shield himself from the rain, not to mention the spiders, roaches, rats, snakes and O’possums that he shared space with, and the cold winter nights.

As I looked into his face,and at his body there were no signs of having lived such a destructive life. His drugging started in high school with pot and ended with smoking crack cocaine in adulthood. That was the drug that took his hope, robbed his dignity, stole his will.

The journey for Gregory into drugs began with his father and mother who were both alcoholics. They worked and drank. Drinking passed down to Gregory but he pick up a habit of using drugs which as he puts it, “took everything from me,” from his oldest brother.

No matter how loud Gregory cried, no one heard him twenty years later his brother, the very one who had gotten him hooked on drugs came and said, “Come Now My Brother, God sent me to get you.”

Gregory remembers that day to be like no other day. According to him, time stood still. It was extremely quiet. He heard a voice say, “Run, hide. He’s coming to get you,” but Gregory couldn’t move. When he saw his brother coming his way, Gregory says he looked like an angel. All he could do was listen, like he had never before paid attention. Something was different, drawing Gregory closer. His brother had a peace about him. Gregory found it hard to resist the words coming out of his brother’s mouth.

That day, that hour, Gregory Hammonds, after 20 years of boozing, drugging and homelessness, was delivered instantaneously from drugs, alcohol, anger, self-destruction.
That was 16 years ago. Gregory’s life will never be the same.

There is a point in everyone’s life where we realize we can’t help ourselves, that we are not in control of the outcome. It could be at a moment when we lose everything, material, or physical health, maybe even a job.

Listening to Gregory sharing his story gave me hope for so many others who are stuck, who have lost everything, even their dignity.

Today Gregory is married, has a five year old son, been gainfully employed at a local college for over 15 years. He spends his life going into the highways and byways to reach others with his message.

Send a word of encouragement to Gregory at hammondsi.bellsouth.net or read more at www.authorsden.com/gregoryhammonds. You can also check out other great stories at www.positivechangeradio.com