Matt Celebrates 9 Years of Recovery and 2 Years of Accountable

Matt Celebrates 9 Years of Recovery and 2 Years of Accountable

My Truth 

Nine years ago today I overdosed on Oxycodone in a hotel room on a work trip.  

I woke up in the hospital ICU unable to breathe, not knowing where I was, or how I got there. I only survived that day because my wife, girlfriend at the time, was nervous that I didn’t answer my phone.  

Today, I celebrate Nine years sober from drugs and alcohol.  I share this for three reasons:

1. I'm proud of myself. Getting sober was the hardest thing I've ever done.

2. People shouldn't feel ashamed if they are struggling with.... anything. It's human. Embrace it. Everyone loves a comeback story!

3. To show that sustainable long term recovery is possible  

Recovery is HARD. If you’re interested in the details of my journey definitely check out this post from last year: Matt Celebrates 8 Years of Recovery 

The fact is that I wasn’t able to do this alone. I really tried. However, despite my best effort, my attempt ended with me in the ICU for a week, thinking my life was over, and I was one of the lucky ones.  

Peers are the Missing Link in Sustainable Addiction Recovery 

There were so many people that helped me along the way. Family, friends, therapists, and psychiatrists to name a few. However, none of them were as impactful to my recovery as other people who were in recovery themselves; “peers”.  

Peers, because they truly understood what I was going through, and had the unique ability to get through to me when others couldn’t. They made me realize I wasn’t unique beyond help. Many times upon receiving suggestions from clinicians, I wouldn’t act on them because I “knew” it wouldn’t work, or I felt shame. With peers, there is none of that, because I’m watching them do the exact thing they are telling me to do and it was working for them.  

This is one of the main reasons we founded You Are Accountable. Peers are uniquely positioned to help individuals maintain and build on their recovery,  and act as a bridge of unbiased and emotionally uncharged communication between family, and the identified individual. Peers also are able to relay information to the clinical team that may not be unearthed during sessions. Lastly, peers can create an environment where accountability to recovery doesn’t feel adversarial.  

Just as important, as a peer, doing the work to help others strengthens my own recovery. 

Today, I have so much to be grateful for, and that is all because of my family, friends, clinicians, and most importantly other individuals in recovery who have walked this path before me and with me.  

If you’re struggling, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. It gets easier, and you’re worth it. I promise.