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As crystal methamphetamine takes an increasing toll on Americans, a “purpose-driven” heroine is revealing her past addiction to encourage users to stop abusing the drug.
Although Ashley Smith was praised for persuading alleged Atlanta Courthouse killer Brian Nichols to release her by reading passages of The Purpose Driven Life to him in March, the hostage-turned-heroine has received criticism for having also offered the highly addictive drug while in captivity – as revealed in her recently released book, Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero.
But Smith says she wanted to give the whole story, as does Purpose Driven Ministries in Lake Forest, Calif., which conducted an interview with Smith in the face of “superficial” coverage by the mainstream media, according to ministry spokesperson Mark Kelly.
"We felt the media who were interviewing Ashley on her book tour were not doing a good job of getting past the superficial topics,” he said.
According to her book, Smith became addicted to the drug in 2001 after her husband, Mack, was murdered. By Mar. 12, when she was taken hostage in her own home by Nichols, Smith had started to rebuild her life, but she still struggled with a desire for the drug.
Known as "speed, "meth," or "ice," crystal methamphetamine is a highly addictive, cheap alternative to cocaine and heroin. Nearly six in 10 U.S. counties report methamphetamine use is their number 1 drug problem, according to a National Association of Counties survey of 500 counties in 45 states.
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While Smith was held captive in her own apartment by the man accused of killing four people in a shooting rampage, the Atlanta-resident was asked if she had marijuana. She didn’t, but offered him the crystal meth she did have. When Nichols asked her to use the drug with him, she refused. What she did instead was read to him from The Purpose Driven Life, which changed Nichols and allowed him let her go. She subsequently phoned the police, who picked him up.
“I really didn’t think God was going to give me another chance,” she said during the interview with Purpose Driven Ministries. “So what I did at that time was surrender completely to him and say, ‘God, You probably are going to take me home tonight, and before you take me home, I need to get right with you.' In doing that, God did give me another chance.”
Being honest in her book about her struggles was embarrassing but worth it, according to Smith.
“I’ll tell everybody my story if it will bring people out of their misery,” she said. “I’ll be embarrassed for everybody.”
Since her confession, readers of her book have sent in letters about their own struggles.
Smith hopes to be strong enough one day to minister face-to-face to those with drug addictions. For now, she’s letting her book speak for her.
And to the many people who say she’s likely to fall back into drug addiction, she said, “I’m a human being and I pray every day that doesn’t happen. I depend on the people around me and Jesus Christ for that.”
Smith also thinks she knows why God chose to save her life.
“I honestly believe God saw that I wasn’t going to take the glory for myself,” she said, “but I was going to just proclaim His name and let everybody know the truth about how He saved me by His grace.”
According to Smith, sharing the message of God’s grace is what drives her now.
“I’m addicted to Jesus now.”
