'There is hope.'

MILTON — Pastor Rodney Williams recently guest ministered to inmates of Santa Rosa County Jail and Blackwater Prison battling drug addition. Williams is a recovered drug addict himself who said he was saved thanks to his faith in Christ. 

According to his website, after his recovery, Williams became an ordained minister and wrote the book “Club Meth to Christ.”  

How do you feel your ministry will help those battling drug addiction?

Club Meth to Christ helps people struggling with addictions and their families through counseling and facilitating treatment options. I counsel those who are seeking help and make sure they have the resources they need to get treatment for their addictions. It partners with several drug treatment facilities, both in-patient and out-patient, to make sure that clients receive the tools they need to beat addiction. I also teach in various jails, prisons, and drug treatment facilities as well.

What made you start writing?

It was a dream God placed in my heart, an inward prompting. I felt like my book could help others. I wanted family members to have some understanding of why addicts act like they do. I wanted addicts to know that there are people that have overcome addictions and I wanted to give them some tools to reestablish their lives.

What advice can you give to others?

I can tell those struggling with addiction: There is hope. And that hope comes from, first and foremost, addressing the spiritual issues that brought them to find comfort in alcohol or drugs. Until that void is met with the forgiveness and love that Jesus Christ offers, you will never find peace and fulfillment. Come to the Lord. Pray and ask Him for help. He loves you. He will help you. You cannot do it by yourself. It may not seem like it now but there are people who love you and want to help you. Reach out….There is nothing for you in a life of addiction except pain and death…. You have a purpose. Your life is not over.

How have you handled criticism that you are not qualified to counsel those with drug addiction?

I haven’t had any. I can say that I was a drug addict for over twenty years. I personally speak to the reality of the bondage of addiction because I lived it. 

What brought you to Santa Rosa County?

Daughters of Excellence extended the opportunity…after [a person] talked to a family member in prison whose life was changed after reading “Club Meth to Christ.”

For more information on Williams or his ministry, visit www.clubmethtochrist.com. 

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'There is hope.'