Baseball is filled with dramatic stories of comeback and redemption, but Josh Hamilton might have them all beat. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays player is currently enjoying one of his finest seasons in the pros. His power is huge and he’s putting up big numbers in almost every category.

What makes this stat line such an amazing accomplishment is that this time last year, Josh Hamilton was addicted to crack cocaine.

Once a first-round pick with a limitless future to look forward to, Hamilton became involved with drugs when coping with the pain and boredom of injury. Things spiraled out of control for Hamilton quickly, who lost 40 pounds, his ability to play and most of his friends. Drug addiction had completely taken control of his once promising life.

The USA Today reported on Hamilton at the beginning of the 2008 season and found the young man incredibly humbled by his experience:

“I’m a drug addict,”

says Hamilton, who once deliberately burned his prized left hand with four lit cigarettes in a rage. “It’s not terminal, but there is no cure. It’s hell on earth. It’s a constant struggle. And it’s going to be like that for the rest of my life.”
Hamilton was so upfront about his challenges and how grateful he was for a second chance, that he documented his experience for sports fan everywhere in a first-person article on ESPN.

Here’s to Josh Hamilton, a pro athlete that everyone should be rooting to succeed.

Tags: ahtletes and drugs, crack addiction, drug addiction, drugs in sports

This entry was posted on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 11:37 am and is filed under cocaine addiction, drug addiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.