ANDREW HAMILTON - THE STORY (SHROOMS / PRISON / COMEDIAN) 

When you realized the prison jokes on yeahmad were all real 😂

yeahmad appeared out of nowhere and now it has become one of my favorite youtube-channels ever.

Seeing him on yeahmad….never would have guessed he had this kind of past. Great to see you pull your life back together.

I went to high school with this guy. Was in the same year from year 7 right through to year 12. Just stumbled across him again yesterday when RU-vid algorithms suddenly put in front of me while random-scrolling. Good on you for getting out of that period of your life and succeeding, Andrew!

This video is better than most of the confessions/testimonies of people with bad past experiences. No glorifications, exaggerations or bullshit about past crimes and prison time but straight to the point, I'm really glad you got your shit together and doing really well now Andrew, oh and i love you and your buddies @yeahmadtv, keep going up Andrew, Take care.

Nothing but respect for telling his story so raw and openly. Easy to just see him as a funny guy but this really shows his much more there is to anyone you might meet.

I‘ve also discovered Andrew at yeahmad. I knew he had a rough life before becoming a stand-up comedian. Having changed so much deserves nothing but respect. Love you, Andrew! ❤ Greetings from Germany ✌🏼

Deep down, I believe Andrew was a bloke with a good heart and values. Your transformation speaks volumes about your parents. ❤

I'm 13 months clean from meth. This is inspirational, and it's always nice to witness another successful and joyess realignment.

Brother, you have changed my life, I wish only to some day meet you in person to thank you. When I first watched this video 2 months ago I was in a bad place, the way you spoke was perfect, real and just so genuine it was like you were talking directly to me and I've decided to take a different path. I fully believe you have saved my life. All I can say now is thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Andrew is amazing, his emotional turn around is something to respect, his stay in prison restructured his character. I was the same, prison didn't make me successful but it showed me how to walk the line.

Taking your parents on a date 😂 what a legend 😂😂😂

Andrew, you’re going to have a prolific comedy career. Turning a life around isn’t easy. You could have easily gone back to selling drugs but you chose to flip your destiny - respect ! I watched all your segments on yeahmad. You killed it. Keep going, mate.

Recovering Addict of 3 years here. wanted to say i'm proud of you. keep it up. We do recover!!!!!

Andrew is a true inspiration for turning your life around

Such a great example of someone who is in recovery. This story is the type of story that will help many others get sober.

It takes so much courage to open up like this. Thank you for sharing your struggles and past, Andrew.

Seeing Andrew speaking about his past and seeing him on Yeah Mad has really shown his progression in life. I enjoy his comedy, especially his laugh. It is 💯 genuine. I wish him all the luck, hard work, and success. 👍🙂

To screw-up is human. To learn from your mistakes and to become a better person is inspirational. Good on you mate! I'm sure you telling your story will help save others... The sign of a true hero.

You said you were lucky, but my dude - you beat the system that was designed to beat you. You pulled your life together and soared during a momentary break from prison to the degree that the judge was inspired by you. Your story must be shared to everyone fighting the struggle. Proof that we have much more control over life’s destiny than we would thing. Right on bro!

Laughter was freedom from imprisonment. ❤ Your authenticity shines bright, my brother.

Andrew Hamilton is a true motivator for any endeavor. Including life itself.

I didnt think id sit through all of this but i was gripped almost instantly. Love this guy on yeahmad and to get more of an insight into his history is eye-opening. New found respect for this man for being so honest and open about hjs experiences and im glad to see him doing well

Courage, intelligence, graciousness, compassion, and realistic viewpoint from an obviously highly talented gentleman. BRAVO, Andrew, for baring your faults and foibles in such a surprising presentation! Just reminds me that with good food, good music, limitless love, and great humor we could solve almost 100% of the world's problems and challenges almost overnight!

Comedy is obvious because he has the most contagious laugh. There is something about laughing and seing someone trying not to laugh that’s something that keeps me young. Love his honesty 👍👏🙏

Andrew, you're an awesome human that brings a lot of laughter to people who need it. Keep being yourself mate. -from Texas.

It's interesting how mushies and MDMA are being used to treat PTSD and addiction to other substances now, yet are still very illegal in some countries. Andrew is a funny bastard and this was a really good interview to watch.

Incredible story... 7 almost 8 yrs clean myself from heroin and i related to nearly everything said. Insane that mushrooms were gonna be the worst of the charges... mushrooms are literally helping people in the states with everything from PTSD and trauma to anxiety and bad moods... love watching him on yeahmad! Killer story mate! Keep up the good work man

This guy can articulate the experiences in his life extremely well. Fascinating story. Love that he realized the importance of his family after all the shit he put himself through.

The best and most insightful 45mins I had this week. Respect.

This was an amazing story. I can empathize with Andrew more deeply now. He is actually a very good speaker and can bring his true self through how he expresses himself. I wish there was a backstory about more Yeahmad members because we want to know them more deeply, because how people feel about their experiences reveals more about their personality. That's why it would be really nice if more Yeahmad members agreed to do it 😊

"A laugh can save a life"

Much more positive story than I expected. Nice to hear him talk about the positive influence his parents were.

Honestly, seeing this man from YeahMadTV and knowing him as the 'dad' of the cast in videos to actually learn what you went through to be able to change, improve himself and help others through comedy is definitely worthy of praise The biggest shocker in the story is just how it all seems incredibly absurd hearing it and how easily we are able to falter and fall through that small rabbit hole Hope I get to have cofee or tea with this legend one day to give an example to everyone to give that person who was suffering a second chance! Thank you once more Andrew and keep giggling like a madman, you've earned your peace and happiness. As Gandalf would say; Hope is kindled. Cheers mate!

You gotta love the man. Probably the most charismatic convict ever. Bravo dude !

Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. I do appreciate the fact that he acknowledged his parents support, family support, a venue that gave him a shot, friends that were there for him and a judge who understood what justice meant. Sometimes the difference between a crap life and a successful life is somebody believing in you, just one person who doesn't abandon you.

Love your story mate. I followed practically the exact same road about 55 years ago. The vacation at the crossbar inn ended the drug era. I didn't drank until my early 40s. Was always party hardy and up for a good laugh but had fallen down a few times Too many so I put the booze away. Spent much time agonizing over what I would do when I quit drinking. To my amazement it was the beginning of my life at age 42. Don't need that stuff. None of it. The humor still is there and shall be till the day I die. Love your comedy. Keep up the good work.

I have so much respect for this man. I need to pull my life together. Andrew is showing it can be done.

Well done Andrew! It was very brave of you to pot this out there, and I hope this inspires others in similar circumstances.

I watch all the Yeah Mad stuff and love it all. Andrew is a big part of that. Never in all those prison jokes did I ever expect that he was more than just genuinely funny. This video is one of the most inspirational things I have seen in a very long time. I am not a Con or someone that has been through these struggles, but the message here, at least that I took away, is that we are all in this together. We need to be better for those we care about and help others do the same. Keep us laughing Andrew, if only to keep yourself on the right path! Well done sir, well done indeed!

When I found YeahMad, and saw you laugh for the first time, it was there. That experience will be forever in that smile. The pain, the struggle, the victory that comes with being clean. Thank you for sharing, take care and be safe.

There aren't a lot of documentaires that I fully watch but I love andrew's sense of humor and I would've never guessed all the things he'd been through. Keep on the good work Andrew and keep giving people laughs, ya dog

Great to see him recover from this past experience, absolutely love his work on yeahmad!!

What a powerful story!!! Amazing how you changed your life, you are not only giving laughs now but also inspiring people. There should be a movie about you 💜 Thank you for your courage and keep up the good work 🙌

Pfft what a guy, anyone who has gone through hell and come out the other side has lessons to share for us all. Thank you for sharing your story and the things you have learnt it helps us all be better humans, and thank you for making me cry with laughter on yeahmad. You've got another fan dude, as I am sure you've already developed many. Keep going! All the best.

i like his openness about addiction and how he recognises that not all addicts are as lucky as he was. For some, getting and staying clean is a real struggle. Great interview.

Wow! Epic story and such a real and genuine version. Well done Andrew! Well done Andrew's Mum and Dad!

Very brave of Andrew to come out and talk about his experiences.

This storytime hit home to me so hard, without going too much into details it just literally got a grown ass man weeping for 20 minutes, the memories, trauma, experiences, and the massive amount of respect to Hammo just got into my feels. I am so proud of you! ❤ Ive been in an constant battle with the world past years, and honestly nothing has given me such amount of faith for my future like your words just did. I hope nothing but success to you big fella 🙏🏼

This video popped up in my feed after watching a lot of the "dad jokes" videos he is in. I only wanted to watch a minute or two and was glued to this interview for the entirety. One of the most real, most honest confessions. What a great redemption arc. Thanks for sharing and thank you so much for making me laugh during my struggles right now.

Your story is so bare, so raw. You are so incredibly wonderful for putting this out there because so many people dancing in the grey area... many people I love and care about have gotten themselves in trouble, but they are good people and I supp

I'm so glad Andrew and Subtitle Guy met each other

It's not about the mistakes you make, It's how you handle the consequences that really shows a man's true colors. This is an amazing story, I applaud you sir. You got your shit together and made your life into something that a person thousands of miles away get's a smile and a laugh from. Hats off to you!

One of the most jolly guy on the internet. Love this guy

Everyone always has a back story... not asking for peoples sympathy, you done what you done and have come out the other end with a new lease of life... well done, love the yeahmad crew.. keep up the good work

Legend! It can happen! Lots of positive from your story. There are so many examples here that others can learn from. Thank you for your honesty.

Love this guy. Its such a common story for so many people and it always helps to hear it again from someone news perspective, especially with such a positive ending.

Wow, I started watching this out of curiosity after going through so many dad jokes on yeahmad, but stayed for the whole thing because I just couldn't stop listening. You got me completely captivated, and even got my eyes wet a few times. I found it very touching and inspiring. Thank you for sharing, and I'm really glad you got through this and came out a better person in the end. Cheers!

My god, Andrew, the story you have, the way you tell it and the messages that it comes with is all truly inspiring! Keep telling it to as many people as you can - you never know you will be saving with it!

Really captivating to watch and hear your story Andrew. Awesome to see that you’re doing something now so niche that’s so rewarding for yourself and everyone else! Keep up the laughs!

It is great to see that you turn it around to probably help others not fall in the same trap and rather do dad jokes instead. It is great to see you moving on and bettering yourself. You and the Yeahmad group make my days complete, humor brings us together.

I'm straight-up impressed by his story-telling skills and the way he always found his happy place in the shittiest of the places ever known to man, I find his story really inspiring and I never even thought that a person could pull their life back together just like he did, I'm really happy for him and I really wish him the best. Love you, Andrew!❤

This video will blow up one day... when Andrew's amazing story touches more hearts... Watch.

Despite Andrew's past he is someone that most people should look up too. It takes so much strength to overcome drugs and to put your life back on track. Mad respect Andrew and much love

That was a very authentic and inspiring interview. Andy is a very reflected man. Whether he has been this way because of his experiences or whether he has always been this way in principle, only he knows - and that's a fine. I've already seen a few of his contributions and laughed a lot. Andy is genuinely very funny and has a great and direct sense of humour! His success is undoubtedly predestined if he stays true to his path.

What an incredible story. This guy is an inspiration.

coming from knowing u from YeahMad i 100% thought this was a comedy skit parody of similar sort of videos of people with a rough/criminal past talking about their experiences. Kinda shocked that its real, but very much appreciate that Andrew is willing to talk about this sort of stuff, i think it can really put into perspective for a lot of ppl, whether or not they have similar problems, its just really helpful to listen about how ppl can overcome stuff like this. I think a lot of us can appreciate how lucky we are, but also sympathise with the sort of feelings you describe and realise how we can’t let that sink us into oblivion and need to just move on the best we can and avoid letting those sort of addictions escalate.

Massive kudos to Andrew for turning his life around completely. I know how insanely hard huge changes are in general, and I can´t imagine how extremely difficult it must´ve been, to do what he´ve done in ONLY a few years.

Thanks for sharing an amazing personal story. I've been through something similar and like you, it was the love from friends that really made a world of difference. Friends from my younger days I haven't heard from in years called to check in on me regularly and share stories of why they believe in me. Eventually I found my purpose in life too. I work with vulnerable populations, a fair number of them being drug users or struggle with mental health or trauma. I have realized that providing them with unconditional love and never judging or being disappointed in them has really helped empower them to do better and move towards a more positive life. I'm so glad you have that in your life too. Keep it up, a lot of people are really proud of you. Hugs

Love Andrew Hamilton!

I’ve been waiting to hear his story…and I can’t see why he’s soo giggly all the time👌 Kudos,brother!

That Long Bay Karma is clutch 😂

Dude, I have so much respect for you for turning your life around as you have done. And I have even more respect for you for sharing your story! ❤

So glad after all the episodes of joy I've gotten from watching him on Yeahmad to get the actual story they're always referring to. Love Hammo and am looking forward to where he's going next!! Additionally, I'm excited to see in the coming years how mushrooms and other psychedelics will be turned to for therapeutic purposes and taken off lists of illicit substances. His experience of them being spiritual and healing is so true.

i love his energy in yeahmad,i would never imagined how fucked he was, and the amazing rise he had later on his life.. it really brings joy to me.. its a great dude.. we are NOT our mistakes, we are what we make to amend those errors... props to you andrew.. love from Venezuela mate.

"Laugh can save a life" hits hard.

31:58 "There's the potential to use [your addiction] in a very positive way for something very constructive if you just find the [right] outlet" 34:38 "A broke comedian living with my parents and I'm happier now than I've ever been in my life. And I finally feel like I am living a life with purpose."

Gold man! A few people need to hear this. You have done ao well Andrew. Congratulations ❤

What an inspirational guy and story. Love him and the crew on YeahMad. Always makes my day better. Keep making a difference, Andrew. Thanks.

I honestly must say that I went into this video with a bit of a light-headed approach, scroll through it, listen to the story behind the funny guy Andrew. But oh man, I wasnt expecting that. Watched the whole thing back-to-back in one go. Andrew is such a greeat storyteller. Very motivational to me, since I was in some private problems, and trying to crawl out of it at the moment myself. Glad you got your things straight to entertain and motivate us, Andrew. Cheers.

The "spiritual experience" of shrooms is no joke. It's the only drug I would ever advocate for, if it's done in a responsible and safe way. I am glad Andrew got his shit together and started a more positive lifestyle though. Lots of people don't get that chance, let alone take it when they do. Huge Grats to my dude

that shit hit hard for some reason.. broke comedian living with my parents but happier now than ive ever been.. im real glad youtube recommended me this, after seeing all the yeahmad bits, always felt like andrew was the coolest guy, only for this interview to confirm it. simply an amazing story about turning ones life around, and to turn out to be such a fantastic comedian. sweaty pits gang, keep it up

Proud of you Mate. That's what you call a 360-degree change. God Bless

More power to you. Huge huddle to overcome. Without knowing this back story, I never would have guessed comedy was so new to you. Keep taking it day by day. You're doing great!

Hammo!!!! Your honesty will keep you in a good place.

Like a phoenix from the ashes! What an inspiration this guy is!

Proud to be following you Hammo... best vibes mate...

What an amazing life transformation story! Watching Dad Jokes, I would never have thought that he was a drug dealer! People who are good at their core can turn around when offered second chance after a major screw up.

I love how down to earth he is. Much respect ✊

One of the most honest and down to earth interviews you'll watch, watching Andrew on yeahmad you'd never say that's the life he once lived even with the piss taking and the odd comment from the other guys you'd still never know it was as bad as it was for him 100% worth watching

This is one of those rare pieces of media where you lose sense of time and are completely enthralled. There should be a film made about Hammo's story. Its inspiring, tragic, deep and most of all, honest about life.

Hey man i watched your 45 min interview about your arrest etc. Really hit home dude. Thanks for your honesty. Good luck

Incredible interview. You owned what you did, accepted responsibility and came out the other end a better man. Kudos Andrew. More power to you. ✌🏽

The story about his gambling addiction paying off, it goes to show that even though he was into dark stuff that can destroy you , he was a good guy at the core, and what had actually paid off was his kindness and his want to share the joy of his win with the guy at the pokies.

Very Inspirational @andrewhamiltoncomedy. It's a rare talent to sum up the crazy ups and downs in your life and put it in such a simplistic way. The best part is how you accepted reality and owned your mistakes, you are always looking out to find the positives. Lots of love and wishes for your career and as a stand up comedian

Jeez Andrew, you are quite an inspiration. The fact that you are able to laugh wholeheartedly after such adversities in your life is quite amazing. Mad respect, and stay sober from substance abuse.

Andrew if you're reading the comments, don't ever change the man you've become unless it's for betterment. Huge respect for being so self-aware and working on yourself. Bright future ahead for this man I think.

Love Hammo. One of my favorites on the YeahMad videos. Not only does it take an immense amount of bravery to talk about this, it takes even more to actually change.

I hope to see him in Italy at some day, we also here need a laugh given by his semplicity of how to live the life after all he's gone through. He can teach so much to many of us, 'cause being a comedian is the best job to stay in health and make others to be in health. Love you Andrew, and also all the cast of YeahMad. Hope to see you soon.

Brutally honest, and we need that honesty and realism! Thank you!