As everyone knows by now Josh Hamilton has a past of drug and alcohol abuse. He was the first overall pick in 1999, but didn't make his major league debut until 2007. Over the course of a few years he suffered many injuries and dealt with it by abusing many substances. He was banned from baseball indefinitely in 2004 for violating the league’s joint drug treatment and prevention program. He went through a crack binge in 2005 that ended up with him lying on his grandmothers door step. It was said that his grandmother got him back on track in 2005, possibly after this incident. He claims that this was the last time he used, until he slipped up in 2009 when photos popped up on deadspin of him with his shirt off in a night club. He admitted to drinking, but not doing any form of drugs.
This clearly shows that he's needed help with the addiction over the last couple years and that's what the Rangers have given him. Texas Rangers coach Johnny Narron has been his accountability partner since 2009. He pretty much goes everywhere with him and is there to talk to Hamilton whenever he needs an ear.
ESPN - Hamilton is a 30-year-old man with a wife and four kids.
Ultimately, he’s responsible for his own actions. But anyone who has
ever been an addict or alcoholic, or had an addict or alcoholic in their
immediate family, knows staying clean requires more than good
intentions or catchy slogans like, “Just say no.”
Narron helped keep Hamilton’s mind right when he was in a slump. Or a
funk. He was the guy in the adjoining hotel room on the road that
Hamilton could talk to when the slugger wanted to discuss God’s plan for
his life at 2 a.m. Or when the devil urged Hamilton to take a drink or
use drugs.
Narron was just acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers who hired him last week to be their hitting coach. This means the Rangers are searching for a new person to take on the roll of helping Hamilton. Hamilton has taken the necessary steps on his own like not carrying large amounts of money or credit cards, which keeps him from buying drugs and alcohol, but knows that at any time something could change. Hamilton will assist the Rangers on choosing a new partner that he sees fit.
