User:Eric dunbar

Eric Dunbar was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 10, 1951. Eric’s life has been full of challenges since early childhood. At the age of four-years-old, Eric was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a disease that attacks the nervous system associated with the muscles. Eric underwent extensive rehabilitative therapy for the disease that had attacked his face muscles, leaving his mouth twisted. At five-years-old Eric developed a fondness of music. After only a few piano lessons Eric was playing the piano, beginning his career as a musician. He played piano and organ for local Baptist Churches in New Orleans until he was nineteen-years-old, at which time he joined the soon to be popular New Orleans band, the City News Band. He continued to play with the City News Band for twenty-one years, working with such R&B greats as King (Groove Me) Floyd and Jean (Mr. Big Stuff) Knight. In his last years on the road as a musician, Dunbar began using the sinister drug crack-cocaine, which ultimately led to his demise. Struggling to regain his identity and self-worth, Dunbar sought ways of escaping his awful crack addiction. Having tried conventional rehabilitation methods--including the Narcotics Anonymous Twelve Step Program--with no results, Eric resolved to try Jesus. After a series of sequential events, Eric Dunbar was delivered from his addiction in one day. Dunbar became interested in writing in the last years of his imprisonment to the sinister drug—crack-cocaine. At the time he had been a prisoner to his vice for ten years and had been contemplating several methods of escape from this insane oppression. He began writing notes on shards of paper that he kept stuffed in his pocket as a way of tracking his moves. Much like a diary, they were notes of the daily events of his life as an addict. “I began writing these notes as a means of keeping tabs on my activities because I really wanted out. It was also a way of easing the incredible pain that I carried around with me. I believe it was the act of writing that made me feel peaceful,” says Eric. “Because of my involvement with drugs I had completely ruined my life. It wasn’t until the day that I suddenly awakened from my hypnotic sleep that I came to the conclusion that I must do something now.” After years of failure Eric realized that he was being destroyed a little bit at a time. His wife and children were gone; his two houses and all the things he had accumulated over the years of his life was now the property of others. Having tried everything—of which nothing worked, Eric then focused his attention on prayer. It was during this time of prayer that God permitted Eric to see face to face, the demon that had been his captor. He describes this encounter in his book, “The Face of a Demon.” Having seen and defeated him, Dunbar knows this enemy can be defeated and he shares his experiences and victories in the book. Eric Dunbar currently speaks at churches, halfway houses, and drug rehabilitation facilities sharing his message with those who would like to be free of this oppression. Eric is also active as the Founder and President of Operation STP (Stop the Violence), unifying neighborhoods across America to stand against drugs and violence.