Addiction

A lot of people in this world struggle with addiction. What matters though, is how you persevere and overcome it.

Athletics is no exception.

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is a former addict. Anybody who has heard of him is probably aware of his struggles. It was widely publicized on ESPN and the like. When he was drafted, he got his hands on a lot of money and fell into the wrong crowd. But soon Josh found himself to be a father and then he found Christ. Josh gave up drugs and alcohol but had been kicked out of MLB for failing drug tests.

But the Cincinnati Reds gave him a chance and they picked him up. After several seasons with the Reds and now the Rangers, Josh has become one of the best players in baseball. He is a regular All-Star and put in one of the best performances in the Homerun Derby ever.

I have a triathlon addiction. I love the sport. I love the challenge and the competition. But I also like hearing the stories.

Eddie Freas is another amazing story about overcoming addiction. In Eddie's case, it was heroin. Eddie was an avid druggy. But one day he saw a story on TV about a triathlete who was competing in Ironmans for Racing For Recovery. Eddie was instantly inspired and quickly joined the Racing For Recovery team. He got himself cleaned up. And while working 40 hours a week, he was also training 20-30 hours a week.

Eddie trained hard for his first half Ironman and competed in the Racing For Recovery Half Ironman in Michigan. While he said multiple times during the swim and bike he really struggled, and that he couldn't believe how hard it was to run after being on the bike, he never considered stopping. He fought through the pain and gave everything he had to finish, which he did, believing that maybe he too could save someone's life.

Now Eddie competes in Ironman races regularly and is still drug free.

Addiction can be a horrible thing. Please seek help, and choose your friends wisely. Don't become something you're not.