87. I'm Going to Be Guilty of a Wasted Life - Learning to do the RIGHT Thing When No One Was Looking87. I'm Going to Be Guilty of a Wasted Life - Learning to do the RIGHT Thing When No One Was Looking
This is Your Wake-Up Call
James shares how a life marked by foster care, heavy drug use and more than 200 arrests shifted in a jail cell when he chose to stop wasting his life. Through candid stories of prison, loss, faith and daily discipline, he describes building long-term sobriety by doing the right thing when no one is looking.
49:24•20 Apr 2026
From Career Criminal to Clean and Sober: James Refuses a Wasted Life
Episode Overview
- Lasting change, according to James, starts with total honesty before God and a commitment to change even when nobody is watching.
- Detoxing from heroin in jail was described as 21 days of physical hell, yet he still had to face the full consequences of his crimes.
- Peer-run programmes like Pier 1 were key touchpoints, but they only worked once he stopped lying to himself and truly surrendered.
- James stresses that many friends who returned to drugs ended up dead or in prison for life, underlining how high the stakes really are.
- His message to those struggling: be serious, be fully committed, and hold a clear vision of a different life with God at the centre.
“"God, I can't do it. I'm going to be guilty of a wasted life."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol or drugs after decades of chaos? This conversation follows James Hodgkinson, who calls himself a former "evil career criminal", as he traces a journey from foster care and violent homes to heavy drug use, armed felonies and repeated prison sentences. Hosted by transformational coach Jeri Bisbee, the show speaks directly to people in addiction recovery, their families, and anyone who’s ever felt stuck in the same destructive cycle.
You’ll hear James talk frankly about growing up with alcoholic parents, entering foster care at seven, and sliding into pills, cocaine and heroin. By his own account, he racked up over 200 arrests, bounced through countless programmes, and kept ending up "in this same cell, looking at that same guy in the mirror with the same outcome." The turning point comes in a one‑man jail cell in 2009, dope-sick on the floor for 21 days after a three‑gram‑a‑day heroin habit.
With everyone in his life hanging up on him, James cries out, "God, I can't do it. I'm going to be guilty of a wasted life." From there, he describes making a fierce promise: to do the right thing "when nobody's looking" – no drugs, no drinking, no half‑measures.
Jeri gently draws out the details: the brutality of detox, the harsh reality of prison life, the role of peer‑run treatment at Pier 1, the grief of losing his brother to overdose, and the gradual rebuilding of a life that now includes long‑term sobriety, marriage, work, travel and faith.
If you’re wondering whether change is still possible after multiple relapses, criminal records, or family breakdown, James’s story offers a raw but hopeful answer: as he puts it, "Anybody can do it. But you got to be serious." What promise might you be ready to make when no one else is watching?
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