Tampa pastor using his experiences with drug addiction to help others
TAMPA, Fla. - George Woods has gone from drug addict to pastor.
Along the way, he's learned a lot of lessons about life.
Now he's using what he's learned to help others overcome their addictions.
Pastor George Wood ministers in a very unique way. He has a podcast where he preaches hope to those in need of healing.
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It's called The Sober Truth Podcast.
"We bring faith and recovery together to talk about topics that will help people understand a better way to walk through life trauma, through addiction, through mental health, and through suicide in a way that's more healing, holistic, and hopefully victorious," Wood said.
Wood knows this world all too well.
"I come from a line of people that struggled with addiction. In 2009, I lost my sister to a drug overdose only to seven months later lose my brother to a drug overdose," he said.
He also was a drug addict.
"I've attempted suicide six times in my life. By the grace of God," said Wood. "I survived but had a terrible drug and alcohol problem."
George is now 17 years sober and uses his experiences to help others.
"We live in the inner city where we carry out a message of hope to those that are less fortunate and don't have the resources that some of us do," said Wood.
" And we try to be this just this beam of light to people that are really in the darkness," Cole McGee says. "I'm 29 years old. I have been struggling with drugs since I was 15."
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Cole is thankful for the help Wood offers.
"I can't begin to explain how much of an impact someone is willing to walk through, through life with you," said Cole. " The good, the bad, the hard times, the good times like that's so important when it comes to someone's recovery."
A sobering truth that Wood says we all need to learn.
"Without a doubt, the answer to the addiction problem isn't laws. It isn't even recovery. It is a connection with other human beings," he said.
Wood gets the message out through public speaking engagements, online platforms, and podcasts.
He's also written a book called The Uncovering.