“Just remember that a kind word, one nice gesture, or a helping hand can make the biggest difference to someone’s life. It did for me.” James Leonard.
He lived a life of desperation, using drugs, overdosing, going to prison for small sentences. Then, after injecting two bags of drugs, which he knew could be fatal, he passed out on a city street in Ireland. Two members of An Garda Sìochàna, the national police service of the Republic of Ireland, stumbled upon his body, saving his life. That was the beginning that led to his miraculous transformation. He succeeded where others failed.
James Leonard’s life began its downward spiral when he was a teenager, “something that contributed towards him going down a bad road,” according to the Irish Mirror. James, who hails from Knocknaheeney in Cork north-central, felt a sense of “anger frustration and low self-esteem” that resulted in his “starting to experiment with drugs as a teenager” and “ultimately turned him towards a life of drugs and anti-social behaviour,” the newspaper reported.
James’ anti-social behaviour led him “towards spells in and out of prison for small sentences – being in a stolen car, drug use,” the story said. James told the newspaper that he would “often wake up in a Garda station or in prison with no idea how he ended up there.” In prison, he was introduced to heroin, he said.
Because of his drug use, James’ weight dropped to “9-10 stone,” (about 126-140 pounds), the Irish Mirror stated. He also had “sore arms, a gaunt face, and yellow skin,” during his 10 years as an addict.
James told the newspaper that drug users feel many different ways when they are caught up in addiction. He said that many people, when they see a drug user on the street, assume “there’s nothing cerebral going on there. They’re just using and that’s it.” However, he pointed out, “there’s actually a lot of thought and doubt going on in that person’s mind. A lot of it can be shame and guilt for what they’re doing.”
He also stated that no one, including drug users, wants to be homeless, in prison, or “strung out on drugs.”
“When you’re in the depths of it, it’s very hard to get out of it and it’s very hard to break that cycle,” he told the Mirror. He said that drug users use drugs “when you don’t want to be using them, and you’ll do things that you wouldn’t dream of doing if you weren’t on drugs, or if you didn’t need them.”
After two members of An Garda Sìochàna saved his life when he had injected himself with two bags of drugs, James’ life took a remarkable turn.
The newspaper said that he got into a detox program for 16 weeks of “therapeutic work,” leaving that “programme with a new frame of mind.” He refocused his life goals, the article said, now wanting a “stable job, a car, a steady relationship, a home — things that he felt were unattainable at one point in his life.”
“After this stint in rehab, he got a bed with the Simon Community and was given a job as a cleaner – something he loved because it provided structure, purpose, and a sense of self-respect,” the newspaper said.
Then James decided to further his education, completing a Level 5 Psychology and Social Studies course. In addition, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Youth & Community Work and a master’s degree in Criminology, according to the article. He is currently a PhD candidate at University College Cork’s Department of Sociology & Criminology, the newspaper stated.
After graduating with a master’s degree, James spent a year and a half working Cork’s Simon Community, because it had helped “change his life” and he wanted to return “the favour,” he told the newspaper. He now works at Cork’s Education & Training Board Youth Services and sits on the Board of Directors at Cork Simon community.”
In January, 2020, James appeared on The Tommy Tiernan Show, telling his story and inspiring others with his transformation. However, the Irish Mirror reported that he originally didn’t want to appear on the show.
After the show aired, the newspaper reported, James “struggled to deal with the attention that he was getting.” After “realising that his story has helped so many people who might be experiencing similar problems” to succeed,” he is “far more comfortable with the spotlight.”
In addition, he was inspired to “use his newfound spotlight for good use,” creating The Two Norries podcast, the newspaper said. With this podcast, he hopes to “inspire people to change and to educate those who have an interest in topics related to drug use, addiction, recovery, desistance, trauma, mental health and social class,” the Irish Mirror said.
To learn more about James remarkable transformation and how he succeeded where others failed, click here.
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