Lamont Peyton
I was born and raised in Crisfield, Maryland to two loving parents. Though I was the youngest of 6 siblings, I was precocious, incredibly persistent – and according to my mother—marched to the beat of my own drum.
Following the footsteps of my older brothers, my proclivity for sports gained notoriety with both teachers and students. However, the attention gained by my athletic prowess proved disadvantageous in many ways; it was not long before I began to flock to peers who skipped school, smoked weed, and abused alcohol. From the period of 1984 – 2010, I was unable to maintain steady employment, and was arrested at least once per year for petty crimes. By the time I was in my early twenties, I had completely lost contact with my family, and was entangled in a self-destructive cycle of addiction and incarceration. This took a drastic toll on my family, especially my aging parents, who would search the local newspaper and morgue for unclaimed bodies in fear that I was dead.
As my late, loving mother used to say, “If you’re not working on something, something will always be working on you.” It took various interventions through program referrals, family meetings, the perils of living the street life, and even family tragedy to make me change my mind about the journey I had embarked on. On 11/28/2005, I was getting high in my local community and found out that my mom had passed away. Although I knew my mom had cancer, the little boy in me just never believed that she would die. She was the love of my life – the one whose words mattered most to me. She had co-labored with my father, and used everything from prayer to butt whippings to try and get me on track.
Who would be there for me now? Who would take care of my aging father? Who would I have left if I continued this reckless way of living? These thoughts invaded my head and heart as I started to realize that – now at the age of forty-four years old –I had nothing! This was my breaking point, my rock-bottom. Shortly after my mother was buried, I visited my father and informed him that I would not return to his home or that neighborhood until I got my life together.
The next day I put myself into a dynamic program, The Doe Fund. There I was introduced to some inspirational people who were beacons of hope for me; they modeled for me what sober living looked like, and honestly, I wanted to possess the traits they embodied: integrity, self-respect, and a purpose-filled life. The level of exposure to new, positive information excited me; my life began to pivot directions, and my life changed for the better. I went from dealing dope to motivating young men on the penalties of doing so. I embraced the help that was afforded to me, and I began to see a change in my circumstances, but most importantly, in my mind and heart.
My journey to recovery and motivational speaking has not been easy…I have cried many nights over what I did to myself. Yet daily, I choose to walk the path of humility and self-forgiveness. I value relationships now, and I affirm myself as a growing man daily with these four statements: “I am a good man. I make wise decisions. I treat people well, and I have integrity.” While once used to swindle others, the former statements have become the principles that guide my life as a man. One of my favorite quotes is, “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will continue to get what you’ve always got. But if you want what you never had, you must do what you never did.” Moreover, I encourage all I met, and especially those I serve, live by the same principles. I just believe everyone can have the life they desire if they are willing to do the work. I presently work at Osborne Association as a Program Coordinator, where I provide counseling and community resources to individuals impacted by the criminal justice system.