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4.375 in.<br />
BIG SOUND. UP CLOSE.<br />
SOUNDBOARDDETROIT.COM<br />
let him stay so they could keep a close<br />
eye on him. Yet he still managed to get<br />
in trouble with the law– the last time<br />
for possession and use of heroin and<br />
crack while driving.<br />
“2017 was my breaking point,” recalled<br />
Shamou. “After years of abusing<br />
my body and my family, I finally said<br />
‘enough is enough!’”<br />
He went to jail for 30 days and then<br />
rehab for 30 days. Shamou asked for<br />
drug court. Eva, his older sister who<br />
was at her own breaking point, went<br />
in front of the judge and demanded he<br />
send her baby brother to prison.<br />
“I shouted, ‘Judge, we have been<br />
through hell and back! If you let him<br />
out on these streets, it will be blood<br />
on your hands!’” Eva recounted. The<br />
judge even threatened to hold her in<br />
contempt of court. Eva feared that after<br />
several overdoses and lockups and<br />
rehabs, that her brother was going to<br />
be another statistic.<br />
It was not only Johnny suffering; it<br />
was the whole family. His mother especially<br />
would cry all day and night<br />
and was often hospitalized because of<br />
her anxiety.<br />
“My son was dying before my<br />
eyes,” Barbara remembered. “We did<br />
everything we could, but it was ultimately<br />
up to him.”<br />
The judge sentenced Shamou to<br />
drug court, an 18-month program in<br />
three phases that included counseling,<br />
meetings, and drug-testing. At<br />
first, he was upset with his sister, but<br />
he realized her efforts came from her<br />
deep love for him. She had come to<br />
jail and court and the hospital, often<br />
schlepping her young kids along with<br />
her, and she had done everything she<br />
could to save him. He now knew he<br />
was worth more and he was ready for<br />
a new life.<br />
“It was a long road ahead,” said<br />
Shamou. “All of those years of blocked<br />
emotions started revealing themselves<br />
to me, and I had to deal with them.<br />
And I had to deal with the issues of<br />
everyday life. But I had to prove to everyone<br />
I could do it.”<br />
While in recovery, he got a job in a<br />
bottling company making good money.<br />
The long hours kept him busy and<br />
free from thinking about drugs. He no<br />
longer craved them anymore. There<br />
were no more excuses and no more<br />
lies. He would no longer be hopeless.<br />
In the meantime, Shamou met a nice<br />
IF YOU OR A LOVED<br />
ONE NEED SUPPORT,<br />
YOU CAN GO TO:<br />
Your family physician (who are<br />
now allowed to treat and refer<br />
patients with addictions).<br />
www.michigan.gov/opioids.<br />
Call 211 or go to www.mi211.org.<br />
www.familiesagainstnarcotics.<br />
org and find your local area.<br />
Your local coalitions through<br />
church and community<br />
programs.<br />
12.0 in.<br />
young lady named Marian. He was upfront<br />
about his recovery with her, and<br />
she decided to give him a chance. He<br />
finished drug court within 16 months<br />
(instead of the prescribed 18) and was<br />
one of a small number of people to successfully<br />
complete the program without<br />
sanctions since the 1980s. He owes his<br />
recovery to the support of his family, a<br />
great job, and drug court.<br />
“During my addiction, I didn’t put<br />
God at the forefront,” said Shamou.<br />
“My wife went to church every Sunday,<br />
so I did too. God helped me a lot. He<br />
always did. I just didn’t believe it at the<br />
time. God really is there.”<br />
Shamou’s parents and siblings<br />
never gave up on him nor did they ever<br />
stop praying.<br />
“We want people to know about<br />
my son’s story because it will help others,”<br />
said Barbara. “Nobody should be<br />
embarrassed. You have to help your<br />
kids. You have to educate yourselves.<br />
And you have to understand this is a<br />
sickness. But you have to also give<br />
them the space to recover. They have<br />
to want it. We are so proud of Johnny<br />
now. He is heroic, and his wife is<br />
equally amazing.”<br />
Shamou and Marian got married in<br />
2020 and now have a five-month old<br />
baby, Jacklyn, named after his father<br />
who passed away in 2021. He recently<br />
completed a program in robotics automation<br />
at M-Tec through Macomb<br />
Community College and works as a<br />
controls technician. He has been clean<br />
since April 8, 2017.<br />
Johnny Shamou can be found on<br />
Facebook and is willing to support you<br />
on your recovery journey.<br />
Special Guest J BROWN<br />
<strong>MARCH</strong> 18<br />
MAY 13<br />
JUNE 11<br />
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<strong>MARCH</strong> <strong>2023</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 27