08/06/2025
Lindsey Ward and Shayla Hoover with Recovery Support Services are teaming up to highlight former clients of PACH who have become success stories. Today we highlight the life of every party, the one and only, Tommie Jones.
My Story – From Where I’ve Been to Where I’m Going
My name is Tommie Jones. I’m the proud father of two young men — Tommie Jones Jr. and Dequayvion Jones — ages 17 and 18.
Right now, I’m blessed to share my life with my future wife, Cierra White — a woman who has been by my side through every step of my journey. I work as a Machine Operator at Falcons Contracting, Inc., where I’m the Head Breakdown Roller Man. When I’m not at my first job, I’m either cooking at restaurants or playing the drums — something I’ve loved since I was about five years old. I play for churches, and using my hands and feet to worship God through music is one of my greatest joys.
I was raised by my great-great-grandmother, Ms. Fannie Mae Jones, who kept me in church all my life. She was my foundation, and when she passed away, my life took a hard turn. I became lost… angry… and I started pushing away the very people who loved me the most. Without even realizing it, I hurt the ones who cared for me again and again. My drinking became heavier, my temper sharper, and my choices darker.
I wanted to see my sons, but Cierra stood her ground — she wouldn’t let me come around them if I had even one drop of alcohol in my system. She told me plainly that I had to come by sober, but I didn’t listen. I wanted to do things my own way. I would try to show up intoxicated, and the only thing she would allow me to do was say “hey” and then leave. As I walked away, I’d hear her say to the boys, “Y’all go pray for your daddy — he needs help.”
When she was away from them, she would call me and tell me again: I could not come around drunk or with evil spirits on me, because those spirits would try to latch onto the boys. She was protecting them with everything in her heart. I thought she was wrong, and I was angry — the more I rebelled, the less it seemed to affect her. My anger made it easy for her to dismiss it. She always said she was not going to argue with me because she was protecting her peace, but I didn’t believe her… until she kept showing me that she meant it.
Eventually, I hit rock bottom. I had lost everything — my family, my home, my sense of self. I was in and out of jail, homeless at times, and drowning in addiction. In that moment, when I had nothing and no one left to call on… I turned to the Lord.
That’s when I made the decision to go to rehab. At first, I didn’t believe in it. I used to joke about rehab, thinking it was pointless. But the truth was, I was tired of living the way I was living. I planned to stay for just a month, but once I started hearing other people’s stories — some so similar to mine, others even worse — I realized where my life was headed if I didn’t change. I saw people leave and come right back within a week, and I told myself I didn’t want that.
So, I stayed three more months. During that time, I prayed and asked God to take the taste for alcohol away from me and to bring me back into church, back to my drums, so I could bless others through my music. And He did it — and is still doing it.
One of the biggest lessons I learned was that I had to change my people, my places, and my habits. Since making that decision, doors have opened for me — some I’ve walked through, and others are still opening as I speak.
I want to thank The Pines and Cady Hill in Columbus, Mississippi, for accepting me and helping me turn my life around. I also want to thank Ms. Susan from Drug Court for pushing me, believing in me, and always checking in to remind me that I am loved.
To my boys — my grown men — thank you for believing in me and pushing me. When you told me you could see the change in me, it meant the world.
And to my love, Cierra White — I know it wasn’t easy dealing with me at times, but you never turned your back on me. You tell me the hard truths, even when I don’t want to hear them, and you keep saying it until it sinks in. You don’t let up, and it’s working. I love you deeply.
This journey hasn’t been easy, but I’m here, I’m grateful, and I’m ready for what’s ahead.
