‘I was a drunk and a drug addict’: CEO of multi-million dollar dessert chain shares journey of addiction and recovery

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - On the outside, Greg George was a stylish dresser. The former Carolina Beach resident was known for his well-fitted suits accompanied by his countless tattoos.

"I've always had a knack for slick clothes. I've always been kind of fresh," George said during a recent interview.

Yet, inside he was battling a demon.

"On the outside maybe everything looked good but on the inside, I was a disaster," he said. "I was an addict."

George says he was drinking and drugging before he was a teenager.

"I started smoking weed at 12 years old and drinking Crown Royal," George said.

George who now lives in Florida once lived at Carolina Beach. At 50, he was delivering pizzas in between jobs. He's a self-proclaimed genius in the franchise business so the jobs got better. His addictions did not. He described himself as a drunk and a drug addict but not the person most people visualize.

"Oh, I wasn't the town drunk. Actually, people—some people— liked it when I showed up. Because you know—'get a round—drinks for my friends.' I was that guy."

George moved to Wilmington 20 years ago to help franchise Port City Java. Life looked good on the outside. He was a regular at the Kentucky Derby-usually winning big money. But for most of the over 40 years, he attended the race at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, he was wasted.

Then something happened that changed his life.

"Seven years ago something happened to me when I was living in Wilmington, N.C. One of my family members had an eight-year opioid addiction that really destroyed our family. It destroyed me. This person had five O-D's, and three arrests. It was brutal. It was my son," George said.

George was able to get his son Andrew into a treatment center but it only made him drink more.

"I stayed intoxicated for three months while he was away scared to death he wasn't going to make it."

Then when it was time to go pick up his son, he was not prepared for what he was about to see.

"What happened when I arrived at the treatment center, I couldn't recognize him. I didn't know who he was. He didn't weigh 130 pounds looking like he'd look better in a casket. And the moment I saw him, that was it."

George checked himself into a treatment center. For ninety days, he and his son attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings together.

"By the grace of God I'm almost seven years clean and sober," George said with pride.

George was in Wilmington Wednesday as the guest speaker for Coastal Horizon Center's annual luncheon at The Country Club of Landfall. He shared his story of addiction, recovery and hope with a packed ballroom. Many people cried as George shared very personal information about his over 40-year struggle with addiction.

Life since the start of the 62-year-old's sobriety has taken a sweet turn.

"Three years ago I walked into a little dessert shop in Louisville, Kentucky called the Peach Cobbler Factory. Had one location. And I walked in the door and I didn't even try the desserts. I knew this was my calling the moment I walked in."

George is now co-owner and CEO of the Peach Cobbler Factory, one of the fastest-growing dessert chains in the country.

" I'm proud to tell you we have over 100 locations in 22 states."

A different world for a guy who, at one point, delivered pizzas at the beach at 50 years old.

"Today I'm the CEO of a $50 million company. Seven years ago I was lost."

George admits he loves this new life. His son, Andrew, is now clean and sober. He now works as an executive for the Peach Cobbler Factory corporation.

George believes all of this success came with a purpose. Today he's helped over 40 addicts get into treatment. He believes he's an addict whisperer.

"First of all they look at me and see I am different. You can't mistake that I have tattoos so that alone makes them trust me more that I'm not the police or treatment center guy. They think that guy is kind of cool," George said.

He believes it's his calling.

"I know exactly why I'm here. It's not to sell peach cobbler. It's to help other people."

As for his recovery, he knows as with any addict, it's one day at a time, But he's firm and convincing when he says never again.

"Occasionally, I'll look at it and go that's the old me. But I have no temptations-no desires. You know no money no human being no nothing is taking me back. There's no way. I'll never have another drink as long as I'm alive. I'll never do drugs as long as I'm alive. I do this for myself first and foremost but also for the people out there. I think God is using me as a tool to attract people who are struggling with addiction so that I can somehow touch them. That's what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I know my gift."