Drug addiction is a constant battle, with 22 million Americans suffering from drug addiction and 23 million in recovery. However, only 2 percent of people who recovered from this addiction will never relapse. The ones affected by addiction will be fighting the temptation to start again for the rest of their lives.
Grant Crowder, former Jones College Dean of men and softball coach, is a survivor of addiction.
“My goal was to be the 2 percent that stayed off drugs,” Crowder said during his talk about his journey from addiction to recovery Oct. 11 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. Crowder began his speech by talking about his high school experiences.
“I was a very competitive person,” he said, explaining that he wanted to always be the best he could be during his high school and college career. Crowder was on the homecoming court, a rodeo champion, and was his high school football team’s captain. His football career expanded when he played college football in Louisiana. Crowder said he wanted to be the one everybody liked, so he made friends with everyone in his high school and drank and smoked whatever was offered.
“I still hate alcohol till this day,” he said. “ I did it to fit in and be cool.”
Crowder mentioned he never had a drinking problem nor an addiction to marijuana because he hated both. Instead, his passion was to hunt and fish, which he had done throughout his life. When he graduated and earned his Master’s Degree in Education, Crowder was offered a “rock” while hunting. This substance made him more alert, and he began to progress to snorting and smoking crystal meth.
In the past, he was able to stop whatever substance he tried, but after deer season was over, he realized he couldn’t stop using meth. He started losing weight, and his bones were showing through his chest.
“I looked at myself in the mirror and said, you’re addicted… I became the person I couldn’t look at in the mirror. I wanted to punch that person,” he said.
Crowder’s addiction not only affected him individually but also hurt his marriage. He and his wife, Anita Shaun Crowder, started marriage counseling. Crowder asked the marriage counselor how he could fix his marriage and have his wife love him again.
“My marriage counselor said I would have to stop using drugs,” he said.
Anita Shaun Crowder asked the Lord to help their marriage, and she read her Bible every day. Grant Crowder knew he had to try rehab. He and his family never told anyone where he was, and his family would visit him at a facility in Jackson.
The unexpected happened when a warrant with five police from different counties arrived at Jones College to arrest Crowder. The reason he was not arrested was that he was present at rehab.
“If I was not in rehab, I wouldn’t be standing here today,” Crowder told the audience. “I was almost at the bottom. I was losing everything.”
Crowder’s story was on the news and in the newspaper, so Crowder did not have a choice but to resign from his job. However, Jones College allowed Crowder’s family to stay in their apartment while he was in rehab.
“My wife should have left me,” Crowder said. “I was a bad person.”
Crowder confessed to pouring his time into the Bible, and a miracle happened to him. After he began to pray, his cravings and withdrawals went away.
“I could not explain what happened,” Crowder said.
Many people stepped up to help Crowder and his family, including his church’s deacons, who covered an additional 72 days in rehab after his initial 30 days were over, and their church’s Sunday School paid for his children’s Christmas. After rehab, Crowder and his family had three weeks to move out of their apartment. A friend of Crowder’s was gracious enough to let him and his family stay at his old home rent-free. His friend then suggested applying to be a fireman in Ellisville, so Crowder applied on the following Monday and was hired on Tuesday.
He said his body was almost back to normal when he began training and running again. After an oil spill, Crowder was hired to help teach fishermen how to clean the ocean, and he received $20,000, which allowed him to pay off his family’s debt.
“My goal was to come back to Jones in five years, but my dad said, ‘son, that will never happen’,” Crowder said.
Even though Crowder could not get his old job back, his career was restored. He was offered coaching jobs out of state, but his family could not relocate.
After he became a fireman, many negative articles were written about him and the company. Crowder believed he was not a bad person but a person who had made bad choices. He explained not all addicts are bad people. A reporter came to Crowder, and he told her he would only answer her if she wrote the exact truth, and she did.
After that, many parents called Crowder, wanting him to speak to their kids.
Crowder eventually applied to be a fireman at Petal to make more money. The officer who interviewed Crowder was one of the officers who once had a warrant for his arrest. Crowder thanked the officer for saving his life, and he was hired because of his account with the officer. Even though Crowder enjoyed his fireman career, he still applied for every job open at Jones.
While the college was hesitant of having a former drug addict on their staff, Crowder eventually had a job at Jones through the Pride Staff, a staffing agency. While working through the agency, he was able to prove to the college that he had recovered. Eventually, he was promoted to recruiting and then to director of the Jones College Jasper County Center. Crowder ended his speech by telling the students and guests they have a purpose in life.
“I am not living for Grant Crowder but Jesus Christ and his plan,” Crowder said.
by Mikayla Rainey
