SHAIR 93: "Finding the Light Within" with Robert Hammond, Addiction, Recovery and Spiritualty!SHAIR 93: "Finding the Light Within" with Robert Hammond, Addiction, Recovery and Spiritualty!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Robert Hammond shares how heroin addiction, crime and prison led to a spiritual awakening and long-term sobriety. He talks about using writing, gratitude and daily spiritual practice to rebuild his life and help others in recovery.
1:27:39•22 Nov 2016
Finding the Light Within: Robert Hammond on Heroin, Prison and a Second Chance
Episode Overview
- Recovery is possible at any age and after any number of relapses; “you can come back” as long as you’re still breathing.
- Pride and the belief that you “know it all” can block genuine change and keep you stuck in addiction.
- Spiritual practices like prayer, meditation and quiet listening can create a daily sense of connection and guidance.
- Writing and storytelling can be powerful tools for healing, self-understanding and helping others.
- A consistent attitude of gratitude, especially when comparing your situation with those who have less, can shift how you see your life.
“Life is much better now. It's all redeemable. You can start over any day, no matter how many times you've gone out and relapsed.”
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? Robert Hammond’s story shows just how far a life can fall apart – and how far it can be rebuilt. SHAIR host Omar Pinto talks with Robert, an author, consultant and former “dope fiend” who moved from LSD and hitchhiking the California coast into years of heroin addiction, crime and prison.
Robert doesn’t sugar-coat anything: he speaks openly about armed robberies, endless arrests, hepatitis C, suicidal thinking and waking up in a jail ‘ding tank’ on Halloween, the day that became his sobriety date. You’ll hear how his first encounter with 12-step meetings offered a tiny spark of hope, long before he was ready to change.
Later, in a desperate moment in jail, he describes feeling total darkness with just “this little spark of ‘God help me’.” From there, he slowly leaned into spirituality, prayer, meditation and the idea of a real power greater than himself, saying, “Life is much better now. It’s all redeemable.
You can start over any day.” Robert also talks about using writing as a recovery tool – from fixing his own ruined credit and turning that into bestselling books, to teaching others to transform their lives by telling their stories. He’s frank about pride, stubbornness and relapse, and he keeps bringing it back to simple practices: gratitude, service, and daily spiritual contact.
By the time he’s talking about skydiving over Monterey Bay and travelling with his wife, the contrast to his prison years is striking – but he keeps reminding people, “You can come back. Keep coming back.” If you’ve ever thought it’s too late or you’ve messed up too many times, this conversation might make you think again.
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