1 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,799 Speaker 1: You're listening to Alive Again, a production of Psycopia Pictures 2 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: and iHeart Podcasts. 3 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 2: Well, my name is Matthew Fortune. 4 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 3: I was dead for forty five minutes. 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 2: There were no white lights, no tunnels. There wasn't even warm, 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 2: floozy feeling. I didn't meet anybody. All it was was 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 2: just nothing. I don't know what, if any afterlife we're 8 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 2: going to experience. Probably, in my opinion, depends on what 9 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 2: kind of a person and what your beliefs are. 10 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: Welcome to Alive Again, a podcast that showcases miraculous accounts 11 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: of human fragility and resilience from people whose lives were 12 00:00:55,560 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: forever altered after having almost died, the first hand accounts 13 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: of near death experiences and more broadly, brushes with death. 14 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: Our mission is simple, find, explore, and share these stories 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: to remind us all of our shared human condition. Please 16 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: keep in mind these stories are true and maybe triggering 17 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: for some listener and discretion as advised. 18 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: I grew up in a good home in sarah Soota, Florida. 19 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 2: My parents weren't about Christians. My dad had a good 20 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 2: job as a project manager for a construction company that 21 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 2: did some of the landmark projects here in Atlanta, including 22 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 2: the Bank of America building and the High Museum of Art, 23 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:46,320 Speaker 2: and of course. 24 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 3: They built all over. 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 2: So I had really really good parents, but my parents. 26 00:01:53,840 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 3: They were very strict. I started being a difficult. 27 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: Child in my teens. Basically at sixteen, I said, I 28 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 2: had enough of this strict Now I don't want to 29 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 2: be home at eight o'clock. 30 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 3: I don't feel like coming home for dinner. I can drive. 31 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 2: I got a car, I'm you know. Of course it 32 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 2: was my parents car, but that wasn't concern to me. 33 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 2: I was mine as far as I was concerned. So 34 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 2: my parents, you know, I said, oh, we got this 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 2: difficult child, so we want to we want to be 36 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 2: good parents than they were. And so they they were 37 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 2: reading this book and it said, you know that when 38 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 2: you got a difficult child, you've got to be tough. 39 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 4: You know. 40 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 2: Whatever psychiatrist wrote it obviously didn't know what they were 41 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 2: talking about, but they sure did have an opinion. My parents, 42 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 2: after having read this book, they basically said, we're going 43 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 2: to take the car and if you leave, you can't 44 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 2: come back. And so, being the good parents they were, 45 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 2: they took a hard line with me. And basically I 46 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 2: am the same gene pool, as my parents imagine. And 47 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 2: so I decided, you know, I was going to take 48 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 2: a heart approach with him, and so I was not 49 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 2: going to come back. I had a girlfriend and her 50 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 2: mom was. 51 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 3: At a little bit more relax, let's just say. 52 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 2: And so I moved in with her. I worked for 53 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 2: my girlfriend's dad's tree service, and you know, I made 54 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 2: enough to buy at nineteen eighty to two years older 55 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 2: than I am, for Fairmont Futura. Thing produced more smoke 56 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 2: than it did drive time, the girl and her mother 57 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 2: got into an argument, and you know, I got in 58 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 2: between them. So the next day I was the bad guy. 59 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 2: So I didn't have a place to go. So I 60 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 2: had a friend who had been renting a room at 61 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: this house, and and you know, the landlord was a 62 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 2: guy in his sixties, and there were several other younger 63 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: guys in the house renting rooms and a. 64 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 3: Couple older guys. It was a big, seven bedroom. 65 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 2: House, and so since my friend was moving out, I 66 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 2: talked to the landlord and I ended up moving in. Well, long, 67 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 2: long story short, it turned out to be a house 68 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 2: that was being run by pedophiles, and so that decision 69 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 2: made my life a lot more difficult. From that point on, 70 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 2: I would be asleep in my room and all of 71 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 2: a sudden I would wake up and they would have 72 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:04,559 Speaker 2: injected me with methamphetamine. So there was a guy living 73 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 2: at the house where I got my room. 74 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,160 Speaker 3: It's a convicted pedophile. 75 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 2: He got me hooked on drugs and then started getting 76 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,799 Speaker 2: me new favors and exchanged for lent. There were actually 77 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 2: several and they got me hooked on drugs, started injecting 78 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 2: me at night while I was asleep, and then they're 79 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 2: very good knowing what to say and what's due to 80 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 2: get people to cooperate with them. Before long, you know, 81 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 2: it became normalized to get high and be involved with 82 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 2: these creeps. On top of that, from the meth and 83 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 2: from me being a teenager didn't like to drink water. 84 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 3: I like to drink a lot of soda. 85 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 2: I got kidney stones. This was right at the time 86 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 2: that oxy cotton came out, and so it was being 87 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 2: pushed really hard with all these doctors. The drug companies 88 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 2: had been to hovading oxycotton as the newest, latest, greatest, 89 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 2: non addictive painkiller. It was a very small pill, whereas 90 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:11,840 Speaker 2: you know a purpose that's a large pill. It has 91 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 2: a lot of time I'm mixed in with it. 92 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 4: So when you do a oxycott in the original ones, 93 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 4: you could lick it and get it wet, and you 94 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 4: could wipe the time release offie outside on your shirt 95 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 4: or napkin or something. 96 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 2: And then what you had inside that was a very 97 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 2: small amount of white powder, and that was basically heroin 98 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:48,599 Speaker 2: medical grade, always the same dependable heroin. Well, I took 99 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 2: them and felt good, so I took more of them, 100 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 2: and I pretty much had a free flowing supply. And 101 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 2: then you have your fentanyl, and you know, you hear 102 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 2: today about how bad noise and pentanoil is certainly bad 103 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 2: when you're using it as a street drug because it's 104 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 2: so strong, it's so easy to overdose someone. And different 105 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 2: dealers cut it to different amounts. So one day you're 106 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 2: doing fentanyl and you do this amount and you're fine. 107 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 2: The next day you take two hits and you dial 108 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 2: the oxycotton got prescribed too easily. At the same time, 109 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 2: if you have cancer and you're in the hospital and 110 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 2: a doctor's given you medical grade fentanyl, it's not made 111 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 2: by a cartel in Mexico in a bath hub, and 112 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 2: they're in terrible pain, who cares if they get addicted. 113 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 2: I was still close with my parents, but they never 114 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 2: had any idea of what was going on. I knew 115 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 2: that if they found out that it would be a 116 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 2: problem coming from the background that I came from, you know. 117 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 3: If you're raised Christian. 118 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 2: Going from that to being basically a sex worker and 119 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 2: my gender identity is straight, you know, I like women. 120 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 2: It was very confusing time for me, and I really 121 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 2: questioned my faith at the time and basically stayed so 122 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 2: high it just really didn't matter to me. This was 123 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 2: not normal the situation that I was in. But as 124 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 2: I started distancing myself from them and got really to 125 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 2: be too old for their interests, I became homeless. Life 126 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 2: on the street is very hard from the perspective of 127 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 2: they did away with all these sanitariums back in the day, 128 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 2: and when they did that, they really created a gap 129 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 2: in care for people that have mental health issues, drug issues, seriously, 130 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 2: a combination. 131 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 3: Of the both. 132 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 2: I was diagnosed with mental health issues as a child, 133 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 2: so really what's picked up the gap is if you've 134 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 2: got mental health problem and you can't really function properly 135 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 2: in society, you end up homeless, and then you end 136 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 2: up in jail for petty crimes, you know, non violent things, 137 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 2: and then once that happens, you've got a record. And 138 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,439 Speaker 2: you know, nowadays with computers, it's really hard to get 139 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 2: second chances. Once you get a record, it's there for 140 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 2: your whole life. The computer doesn't forget, and most employers 141 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 2: aren't looking at the fact that, oh, this person's been 142 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 2: out of prison and off paper for eight ten years 143 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 2: and doing the right thing and you know, hasn't been 144 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 2: in trouble. They don't really do your whole situation, and 145 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,560 Speaker 2: so it's really easy for a company looking at you 146 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 2: to say, this person, we don't want anything to do 147 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 2: with them because we don't want them to embarrass our company, 148 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:16,719 Speaker 2: and so it becomes hard to get jobs. They can 149 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 2: just do a truth Finder search and they can see 150 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 2: that you've been arrested X amount of times for silly things, 151 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 2: and you've been in trouble, and then you've been to 152 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 2: prison for three years or whatever. We've got this for 153 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 2: profit prison system. We're putting all these males of working 154 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,559 Speaker 2: age in prison instead of getting them the help they need. 155 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,319 Speaker 2: So there, I am, I'm seventeen years old, you got 156 00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 2: kidney stones, I'm addicted to oxy cotton. I'm homeless. My 157 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 2: options are just dwindling. When you're addicted to oxy cotton, 158 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 2: it's not something you just put down. When you do 159 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 2: put it down, you are intensely ill. Once you start 160 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 2: doing these drugs, you have to have them to feel normal, 161 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 2: and you need more to feel good. So you don't 162 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 2: have them, you are actually sick. And so that's a 163 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:20,640 Speaker 2: real thing to realize is some people, if they don't 164 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:30,079 Speaker 2: have the drug, they're physically violently ill. When you're homeless. 165 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 2: You live in Atlanta here, some days are absolutely gorgeous. 166 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:39,000 Speaker 2: The weather here is wonderful. When it snows, it melts 167 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 2: after a day or two, and it's not there for 168 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 2: all winter. So the weather is wonderful in Atlanta primarily. 169 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 3: But we go three and. 170 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 2: Four days where it's thirty degrees, wet and cloudy. Then 171 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 2: your feet have been wet for three days. You're in 172 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:05,040 Speaker 2: wet clothes. You probably don't smell great when it's freezing 173 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 2: cold and you don't have. 174 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 3: A blanket and you're in a T shirt. 175 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 2: Somebody handing a pipe and you can hit it once 176 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 2: and feel better. 177 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 3: You're gonna hit it once a mill better for an hour. 178 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 3: You know, you do a hit of math. 179 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 2: You're gonna feel good for twelve hours. The problem is 180 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 2: you're gonna want more. 181 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 3: When you do math. 182 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 2: You might get a bunch of work done. I found 183 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 2: out when I was living at the Marta stations and 184 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 2: doing it all. 185 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 5: The time that a lot of these guys that work 186 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 5: in these big tall buildings, that work on the fiftieth 187 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 5: story of a building, they actually park their car at 188 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 5: the Sandy Springs Marta station. 189 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 2: They ride the mart train in because then they don't 190 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 2: have to deal with traffic. They get off, they take 191 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 2: two or three puffs off their math pipe, and they 192 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 2: go work all day. I lived behind this you know, 193 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 2: this tree and bush at Art Center, and it was 194 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 2: kind of out of sight, and it was one of 195 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:14,520 Speaker 2: the only places it was out of sight. So I 196 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 2: got a lot of free drugs because these guys would 197 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 2: come right through and they would be on their way. 198 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 2: They've got money, they've got a real good job, and 199 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 2: they're going to work and they just want to get 200 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 2: their pep up for the day so they can get 201 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,319 Speaker 2: a lot accomplished. And so they would go in there 202 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 2: and they'd hit it a couple of times on it 203 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 2: like there and I'm, you know, homeless and looking like 204 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 2: I'm not having a good time, and so they'd be 205 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 2: nice and help me out by the handed me the pipe. 206 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 2: Some people can do drugs on a recreational level and 207 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,319 Speaker 2: other people cannot, and it's hard for people that are 208 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 2: doing it to realize where that line is. The reason 209 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 2: that math causes people to be so far out there 210 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 2: is because people will stay up for three four days 211 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 2: a week, and if you want to sleep in a week, 212 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 2: you are certifiable. I mean, once your brain does not 213 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 2: rest for three days, you're. 214 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 3: Hearing things that aren't there. 215 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 2: You are not yourself, you are crazy. So I was 216 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 2: homeless for about twenty years on and off. I'm forty 217 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:39,400 Speaker 2: years old, so most of my life and every day 218 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 2: is a real challenge. 219 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 3: It's dangerous. 220 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 2: You've always got to watch your back. The worst thing 221 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 2: you can have is another homeless person around you, because 222 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 2: they're gonna take anything they can get from you. When 223 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 2: you're not around your spot, the police, the guys that 224 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 2: clean up and stuff like that around town, they're gonna 225 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 2: throw your bags away. It's just constantly you're afraid. 226 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 3: Like one time, you know, in. 227 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 2: Branson, Missouri, I was stabbed right and along, and I 228 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 2: ended up having to be taken to the hospital in 229 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 2: a helicopter wrapped in saran wrap. When you have a 230 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 2: hole in your lung, the air takes the path of 231 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 2: least resistance. You breathe in and it comes right out 232 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 2: of your chest, so they wrap you in saran wraps 233 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 2: so you can bleed, and then they have to let 234 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 2: it drain, and it's just a bloody, nasty mess. So 235 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 2: you're always afraid of what can happen. 236 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 3: You always have to be. 237 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 2: Watching out for your surroundings, what's going on, look out 238 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 2: behind you, that kind of thing. 239 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 3: But at the same. 240 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 2: Time, it can be really almost care free at times, 241 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 2: because sometimes in Georgia, you wake up it's seventy degrees outside, 242 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 2: it's blue skies, the sun shining. Somebody hands you twenty bucks. 243 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 2: Another guy hand you a brown paper bag with a 244 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 2: subway sandwich in it. You know, there are great people 245 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 2: in Atlanta. There are great organizations, but there are great 246 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 2: individual people that care. And you know, and you don't 247 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 2: have a care other than your safety and maybe whatever 248 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 2: drug issues you have. You don't have a care in 249 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 2: the world because you don't have to go to work 250 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 2: you don't have to worry about paying your electric bill, 251 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 2: you don't have to worry about your rent. Now you 252 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 2: might get back to your spot and your stuff might 253 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 2: be all thrown away, or another person might have stolen it, 254 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 2: or somebody might stab you. One of these places that's 255 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 2: doing really a great thing is is First Fresh Cherian 256 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 2: Church over Bio Art Center Station. There's coffee to be drunk. 257 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 2: There's a place out of the rain to recover, rest 258 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 2: a little bit, play chess, read a book. They've got 259 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 2: a library that is really it's not even a library. 260 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:09,160 Speaker 2: It's take the books and you can get good books 261 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 2: to read and certainly use this pillows as well. When 262 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 2: you go to First Babetarian, you're not going to feel 263 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 2: like they're pushing an agenda on you. You're going to feel 264 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 2: like they're there because they want to help and provide. 265 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 3: Services to you. 266 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 2: It doesn't matter if you are an atheist, doesn't matter 267 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 2: if you're Christian, it doesn't matter if you're Buddhist. It 268 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 2: really doesn't matter at all what your beliefs are, and 269 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 2: they're not going to make you feel like it matters. 270 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:43,480 Speaker 2: They're going to make you feel like they're there because 271 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 2: they care about you. So there's a woman there named 272 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 2: Trish who every day she'd ask me when I came 273 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 2: in to get something to eat, She'd say, are you 274 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,440 Speaker 2: ready to be clean? Are you ready to get get 275 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 2: yourself together? And I'd say no, But she always would 276 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 2: ask me, and I would always come in for the 277 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 2: food and get a pair of socks. And they'd ask 278 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 2: me that every day, and then I would fail, and 279 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,360 Speaker 2: I would try, and then I would fail, And so 280 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 2: they didn't really, they didn't give up on me. They 281 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 2: could have been several several different lines. And I definitely 282 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 2: presented a challenge, but you know, she would ask me 283 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 2: every day and I would I would try for a 284 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 2: couple of days or a week and then come in 285 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 2: high again. My fortieth birthday, I just wanted to be 286 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 2: off the street for a couple of days, so I 287 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 2: got a hotel room. Most people celebrate their forties, it's 288 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,560 Speaker 2: a huge big deal. My fortieth, I were just happy 289 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 2: not to be out on the rain. And so I 290 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:58,960 Speaker 2: had a little money, and I learned to get high. 291 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 6: And I'm gonna have me a good twelve hours and 292 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 6: and I go and and this guy pulls a gun 293 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 6: out on me, and I was instantly realized, I'm not. 294 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 3: Getting any drugs. He was robbing me. I wouldn't have it, 295 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 3: and I just threw my arm up. 296 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 2: It popped the gun out of his hand and it 297 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 2: blew out of the street. So he took off after the. 298 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 3: Going I'm running one way, he's running another, you know. 299 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 2: And of course he did get my fifty bucks. You know, 300 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 2: it was fifty dollars. It's spent like eight hours humiliating 301 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,439 Speaker 2: myself to make the money for it, and I I 302 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 2: was so angry. 303 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 3: I was going to go get my fifty dollars back. 304 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 2: This is not gonna be an honorable thing. This is 305 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 2: gonna be of both of us trying to sneak up 306 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:46,479 Speaker 2: behind the other one that spend the rest of our 307 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 2: lives in prison type thing. We're gonna give me my 308 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 2: money back. 309 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 7: I'm going to. 310 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,120 Speaker 2: This holding and I just really need that fix. 311 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 3: I am sick, sick, sick. 312 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 2: So I came to the church angry and scared. I 313 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 2: really just didn't feel like that much worse, And it 314 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,680 Speaker 2: really couldn't get that much worse except you know, death. 315 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 2: They talking down from going and getting going and doing 316 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 2: anything stupid at the church, and of course I knew 317 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 2: better than to do that, but it did. It did 318 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,159 Speaker 2: help that I had a support group to go and 319 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 2: to say. 320 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 8: Supportive things, calming things to me, and so that I 321 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:32,919 Speaker 8: could feel like somebody gave a crap that I was 322 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 8: having a really bad day. 323 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,119 Speaker 2: So I walk out of the church. But I'm just 324 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 2: so miserable still. So i go down and I'm just 325 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,120 Speaker 2: walking do the sidewalk with a friend. He's got some ventanyl. 326 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 2: I'm miserable, smokes ventanyl with him. First hit, one enough. 327 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:53,959 Speaker 3: Second hit. 328 00:20:54,840 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 2: I just hit the sidewalk dead, instantaneous. 329 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 3: I have no memory of it. 330 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 2: The high of finnyl is like oxycodon or morphine or 331 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 2: too much of a lesser extent percoseet. Fennyl is just 332 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 2: the top end strength. It depresses your central nervous system, 333 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 2: so it makes you quote unquote fade out. You know, 334 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 2: you close your eyes, you lean forward, You're feeling so 335 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 2: good inside. But it also slows down your breathing and 336 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 2: slows down your heart, so it eventually you just go 337 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 2: to sleep. 338 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 3: That's how you die. You never wake up. 339 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 2: It's just like when you're going for surgery and you 340 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:51,680 Speaker 2: count down from ten and the doctor says count down 341 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 2: from ten and it gives me the anesthesia, and so 342 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 2: you're like ten. 343 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 3: Nine, eight, you might get to seven. 344 00:21:58,440 --> 00:21:59,959 Speaker 2: Then you wake up two and a half hours later 345 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 2: and you're going, oh wait, it's two and a half 346 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 2: hours later, and I've had surgery. It's the exact same thing. 347 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 2: So that was my death experience, to go. 348 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 6: From ten nine eight seven and then death and then. 349 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:21,679 Speaker 2: Wake up, you know, forty five minutes later with a 350 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 2: sore chest from CPR, no memory all. So my friend 351 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:34,720 Speaker 2: that did the venta with me, he gave me a 352 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:41,159 Speaker 2: shot of no lozon up my nose and then he 353 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:45,400 Speaker 2: called the ambulance. They did not pronounce me dead. They 354 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 2: kept getting a heartbeat or a breath. My heart started 355 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,040 Speaker 2: beating and then stopped and then started, and so they 356 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 2: kept going, and so they did it for about forty 357 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 2: five minutes. It's a miracle I was brought back because 358 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 2: if you know anything about CPR, they do not typically 359 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:08,199 Speaker 2: go that long, and it is extremely. 360 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 3: Physically draining. 361 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 2: I remember waking up in the ambulance and thinking this 362 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,160 Speaker 2: guy swept like crazy, and I had no idea he'd 363 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 2: been doing CPR on me forty five minutes, except my 364 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:26,119 Speaker 2: chest belt. Here got hit by a truck, and they're like, 365 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 2: you have had CPR done on you for forty five minutes. 366 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 3: He just barely lived. 367 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 2: And the guy given the CPR was a he was 368 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 2: doing a shift as an ambulance paramedic, but he was 369 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 2: also a police officer, and so he was late for 370 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,359 Speaker 2: work as a police officer. And so he's calling his 371 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,880 Speaker 2: boss and explaining to his you know, captain or whatever, 372 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 2: why he's going to be late to his job as 373 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,359 Speaker 2: a police officer, sir. And so I just grabbed a 374 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 2: piece of paper and a pen and I wrote him 375 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:08,600 Speaker 2: a note and said, please excuse John or Paul or 376 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 2: whatever his name was. He was busy saving my life, 377 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,399 Speaker 2: that's why he's late for work. And I signed a 378 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 2: dumb ass. 379 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 3: I was dead for forty five minutes. 380 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:26,960 Speaker 2: There were no white lights, no tunning rules. There wasn't 381 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 2: even warm, fuzzy feeling. 382 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 3: I didn't need anybody. All it was was just nothing. 383 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 2: I hit it, and then I woke up in an 384 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 2: ambulance and I could have just as easily not woken up. 385 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 3: So, based solely on that experience. 386 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 2: I think death is like going to sleep. I don't 387 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:56,120 Speaker 2: know what, if any after life we were going to experience. Probably, 388 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:59,120 Speaker 2: in my opinion, depends on what kind of a person 389 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,520 Speaker 2: in which your belief are, But. 390 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 3: It definitely isn't something you're going to have a big 391 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:08,160 Speaker 3: warning for. 392 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,880 Speaker 2: A lot of people think I'm gonna die of cancer 393 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 2: and I'll know about it for six months or whatever. 394 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 3: Well, you might, but to may very. 395 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 2: Well be driving home from work and not even see 396 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 2: it coming and its lights out and it's just over. 397 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,879 Speaker 2: They have to have their permission to take you to 398 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 2: the hospital, and I absolutely refused. I wanted out of 399 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 2: that ambulance. I was like, I, look, I'm not going 400 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 2: to the hospital. 401 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 3: I'm fine. 402 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 2: I just want to get out of the ambulance and 403 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 2: everything's okay. Thank you so much for saving my life. 404 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 3: I wasn't sure. 405 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,439 Speaker 2: If I wanted to live or die. I just knew 406 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 2: I didn't want to do what I'd been doing. So 407 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 2: the next morning I into First Westerian. I saw Trish. 408 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 2: I told her that, you know, I wanted to get clean. 409 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,639 Speaker 2: So that night I got I got ann ouber and 410 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 2: went to North Georgia and went into that program. So 411 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:20,240 Speaker 2: the program is fantastic. It used to be a hunting 412 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,720 Speaker 2: FLDGE but when you go up there now, it's really 413 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:26,480 Speaker 2: amazing because the deer will eat out of your hands, 414 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,200 Speaker 2: and there's these black bears running around. The black bear 415 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:34,360 Speaker 2: mom and the two cubs. You got like seven guys 416 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,720 Speaker 2: that have been used to being out on the street 417 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:41,720 Speaker 2: doing drugs that are now living in these cabins that 418 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 2: are just beautiful out in the North Georgia mountains, and 419 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 2: there's a swimming pool and the classes. 420 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:51,760 Speaker 3: The staff was great. 421 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,199 Speaker 2: You know, I learned so much there that it's really 422 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,439 Speaker 2: not something that you just go, well, I'm a drug addict. 423 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 2: It's my fault because I party too much. You know, 424 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 2: I'm a drug addict. 425 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 3: There's ruins. This happened. 426 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 2: Some of them are my fault. But it's a predisposition. 427 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:16,240 Speaker 2: It's a disease. You can't ever get rid of your addiction. 428 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:18,680 Speaker 3: You will always have the disease. 429 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:23,680 Speaker 2: But these are the things that I can do to 430 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 2: control it. When you start dealing with this kind of stuff, 431 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 2: you know, you can really take the. 432 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 3: Approach of it. 433 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 2: I didn't deserve to be abused. I didn't deserve to 434 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:44,320 Speaker 2: get addicted. The doctor should have known better. You know, 435 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:49,400 Speaker 2: you can be mad, what is that going to accomplish. 436 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 2: Part of the treatment is going to counseling, mineral counsel 437 00:27:54,119 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 2: and learning that you know, you're gonna have to accept 438 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,719 Speaker 2: the fact that even though it's not necessarily all your fault, 439 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:06,919 Speaker 2: it is your responsibility. Are you gonna let that defind you? 440 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 2: I mean, am I always going to be known as 441 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 2: Matt Fortune the drug addict? Or am I going to 442 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:17,080 Speaker 2: be known as Matt Fortune? And that guy that you know, 443 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,159 Speaker 2: maybe he had some problems when he was younger, but 444 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 2: he rose above it and he did all these great things. 445 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 2: He helps a volunteer at the church, he builds habitat 446 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 2: for humanity houses. He's a loving father, he's a you know, 447 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 2: a good son. It's really about rising above instead of 448 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 2: wanting others to feel sorry for you. I've always been 449 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 2: a Christian, and I would say I'm more of a 450 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 2: Christian now because I have seen some. 451 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 3: Of the love that's been given to me. 452 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 2: And you know, God is a billy love in my opinion. 453 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 2: Sometimes when you're all on drugs and things so muddied too, 454 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 2: you see God through that too. What you really get, 455 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 2: especially in the New Testament when you read it, is 456 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 2: that God is really what God is about is love, 457 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 2: And if we as a society could realize that God 458 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 2: is really about love, like true love, just your fellow 459 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 2: human being. And if we could learn as a society 460 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 2: to love each other more and be more forgiving of 461 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 2: each other, and realize that everybody screws up, you know, 462 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:48,720 Speaker 2: and everybody needs some different level of redemption. I think 463 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 2: that's the lesson that the Bible is really trying to teach. 464 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 2: We all make mistakes. So when I made the decision 465 00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 2: to lead my house at sixteen, that was a mistake 466 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 2: on my part. I think my parents now have realized 467 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,960 Speaker 2: that it was a mistake on their part to not 468 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 2: force me to come back. 469 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 3: If they had to do it over again, I'm sure 470 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 3: they would. 471 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 2: Both my younger brothers sister, and both of them had 472 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,960 Speaker 2: to go to military school because they definitely. 473 00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:19,400 Speaker 3: Were not going to have another one like me. 474 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,600 Speaker 2: You know, it's really hard to drive down the street 475 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 2: and have someone that's dirty come up to your car 476 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,560 Speaker 2: and ask you for money, and it's hard to look 477 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:38,400 Speaker 2: at it and see how they're suffering, and then you 478 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 2: either have to give them money and then justify why 479 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 2: you gave them money, knowing that they might spend it 480 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 2: on drugs, or you have to tell them no and 481 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 2: kind of justify to yourself while you did that. Either way, 482 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,960 Speaker 2: it kind of gives you a bad feeling. It's not 483 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 2: a pleasant interaction on either side. But you have to 484 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 2: understand these people are for buying larger than the most 485 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 2: part good people on hard times. You know, they are 486 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 2: redeemable people. They are people that probably need some help mentally, 487 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 2: probably need some help getting clean. But these are the 488 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:29,680 Speaker 2: type of people that God would love does love. You 489 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 2: don't have to do anything more necessarily than smile. You can, 490 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 2: you know, you can do all the thumping of the 491 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 2: book and reading verses to people. 492 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:43,400 Speaker 3: And everything like that. 493 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:48,880 Speaker 2: But the way that you're going to get my attention 494 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:53,560 Speaker 2: to show everybody else how good we can be. And 495 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 2: if everybody looks at that and sees how good you 496 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 2: can be, that brings everybody up instead of bringing everybody down. 497 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 2: And so every day I wake up and I try 498 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 2: to be a better person than I was at the 499 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 2: day before. 500 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: Welcome back, this is Alive again, joining me for a 501 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: conversation about today's story or am I other alive? Against 502 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 1: story Producers learned Vogelbaumb and Brent Die and I'm your host, 503 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: Dan Bush in the studio day we have learned Vogel Bomb, 504 00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:56,840 Speaker 1: Brent Die and myself, Dan Bush, your host. And so, 505 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 1: how Brent did you meet Matthew. 506 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 9: Matthew who was a member of our church, and he 507 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:07,800 Speaker 9: came and spoke before congregation one morning about his experience. 508 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 9: He was celebrating the fact that he was drug free 509 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 9: for two hundred and eighty days, which is a huge accomplishment. Well, yeah, 510 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 9: and I was struck by just the arc what he accomplished, 511 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:21,680 Speaker 9: how it transformed his life. And I've always been interested 512 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 9: in the issue of homelessness. I find it shocking that 513 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:28,480 Speaker 9: so many people experience homelessness in this country, so many veterans. 514 00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 10: Yeah, it's shocking. It's terrible. 515 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 11: Matthew talks about like, you know, when you pull up 516 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 11: to the top of the turnpike or the exit or 517 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:39,080 Speaker 11: wherever you're at, and you meet a homeless person, or 518 00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 11: you have an encounter with a homeless person who is 519 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:44,600 Speaker 11: maybe needing money, and then you're conflicted because you either say, yes, 520 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 11: I'll give you some money, and then you're afraid they'll 521 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,040 Speaker 11: go use it for drugs, which is not good for them, 522 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 11: or for the society or whatever, and then or you 523 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 11: say no, and then you're conflicted because you had a 524 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,640 Speaker 11: moment to be compassionate. And he was like, at the 525 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:00,240 Speaker 11: end of the day, I just want to be seen, 526 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 11: you know. Of course I need the money, of course 527 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 11: I need the food, but I also just need to 528 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,440 Speaker 11: have dignity. Who knows what traumas they've experienced that have 529 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:14,160 Speaker 11: made them unable to function or participate in society and 530 00:34:14,160 --> 00:34:17,080 Speaker 11: the way that we deem normal or whatever. I was 531 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 11: really moved by the story so much so that I 532 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 11: played it for my ten year old kid, Roman. I 533 00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 11: thought he could handle some of the mature stuff that 534 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,840 Speaker 11: was in there. I wanted him to hear the fentanyl story. 535 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 11: Yeahe never never too really to start talking to your 536 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 11: kids about the dangers of taking random pills. 537 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 7: He's only ten. 538 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 11: But I'm like, look, if ever any friends come to 539 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 11: you and say here's an adderall or here's something that 540 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 11: will help you with this test, just come to me. 541 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:45,879 Speaker 11: I don't want you to die because of fentanyl, and 542 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 11: we have to have a different approach to it these days. 543 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:49,719 Speaker 11: So I actually played the story for Roman so that 544 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 11: he could hear how quickly fentanyl will kill you. 545 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:59,280 Speaker 10: People press it into what looks like totally normal prescribed pills. 546 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:03,320 Speaker 10: You cannot tell the difference unless you use a test. 547 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 10: And they do make tests that will detect fentanyl in 548 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 10: a small sample. 549 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,840 Speaker 11: And just because one pill is fine, there might be 550 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 11: a much higher concentration in another pill in that same batch. 551 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 10: Absolutely. Yeah, and test strips in a lot of places. 552 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,200 Speaker 10: You can find them for free from from local programs. 553 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:26,280 Speaker 10: Here in Georgia, we have the Georgia Overdose Prevention Organization, 554 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:29,160 Speaker 10: which is terrific. They'll come out and like teach you 555 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 10: how to how to use the loock zone. They'll provide 556 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 10: you with test strips. It's a really wonderful program. 557 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 3: Yeah. 558 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 9: He describes how much work it is, you know, to 559 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,719 Speaker 9: get fifty dollars like that would be eight hours of 560 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 9: standing by the side street, just dehumanizing yourself, you know, 561 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,239 Speaker 9: to ask for this money. And he said people will, 562 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:52,719 Speaker 9: people will hold a drive up and hold a bill 563 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 9: up and they'll walk up and they'll spit at him, 564 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,240 Speaker 9: or they'll drive by and throw like a half empty 565 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,879 Speaker 9: can of coke at him, you know. And he said, 566 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:02,640 Speaker 9: all I need is a smile, you know, if you 567 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 9: can't give me a money, you just treat me like 568 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:05,160 Speaker 9: a human being. 569 00:36:05,239 --> 00:36:08,359 Speaker 10: But also in this specific case, you know, it's it's 570 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 10: a react. It's partially a reaction to how we view 571 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:15,319 Speaker 10: poorness in this country and how we consider it some 572 00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 10: kind of moral failing where it is not what is 573 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:21,880 Speaker 10: it the statistic like ninety percent of us in this 574 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:24,719 Speaker 10: country are only really a few paychecks or like one 575 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,880 Speaker 10: medical emergency away from being in the same. 576 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:32,400 Speaker 11: Situation, right right, Brent, He didn't have any sort of 577 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,440 Speaker 11: the classic near death experiences that we have heard so 578 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 11: much of on the show. It was more probably because 579 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 11: of the fitanyl. He described it more as like you know, 580 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:46,040 Speaker 11: when your surgery lights out, you know nothing. 581 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 7: I don't remember. Yeah, I don't remember. 582 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,200 Speaker 11: When I've had surgery and they've used fitting all or 583 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 11: whatever as anesthesia. Same thing, like I don't remember any dreams. 584 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 7: You just wake up. 585 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 9: Yeah, what story was it? 586 00:36:58,200 --> 00:36:58,680 Speaker 3: That was it? 587 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 9: Angelain or Jessica? 588 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:01,520 Speaker 3: That was. 589 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 11: And she did Angeline who had the brain aneurism. I 590 00:37:07,719 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 11: wondered if like she just doesn't have any for if 591 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 11: it was just a blank in her in her a 592 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 11: gap in time and space like that, like that happens 593 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:19,280 Speaker 11: when you go under anesthesia, or if she remembers the nothing, 594 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:23,400 Speaker 11: because if you remember the nothing, then it's something, you know, 595 00:37:23,719 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 11: so it goes into the soul like like, so I 596 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 11: wanted clarity on that, But she'd also describes like there's 597 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:32,480 Speaker 11: just it was just a nothingness. 598 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 9: When I was speaking with Matthew, he had that same 599 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 9: kind of haunted reaction to really not feeling any memory 600 00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:45,440 Speaker 9: or any feeling. No tunnels, no meeting of angels. Just 601 00:37:46,719 --> 00:37:51,360 Speaker 9: lights out, is how he put it. And it seemed 602 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,440 Speaker 9: to really frighten him. And you know, he's coming at 603 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:57,320 Speaker 9: it from a Christian perspective, and he was saying based 604 00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,640 Speaker 9: on his experience, and he was he was saying that 605 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:02,719 Speaker 9: there or other experiences people could have, and he wasn't 606 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,239 Speaker 9: ruling out the possibility of an afterlife. But for him, 607 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,000 Speaker 9: what he took out of that was the need to 608 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:11,240 Speaker 9: do something now. And that's why he's getting really active 609 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 9: with Habitat for Humanity. He's involved in the church program 610 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:19,400 Speaker 9: where they help other homeless people and drug addicts rebuild 611 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:22,359 Speaker 9: their lives. And I think it's kind of the old 612 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:25,400 Speaker 9: idea that heaven could be here on earth. You know, 613 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:27,360 Speaker 9: what is it that you can do with your faith 614 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:28,359 Speaker 9: while you're here. 615 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:34,960 Speaker 11: Well, even if you are not religious, there probably the 616 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,920 Speaker 11: one of the best antidotes for depression or feelings of 617 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 11: being traumatized is to go help somebody else unconditional. Unconditionally 618 00:38:49,719 --> 00:38:52,759 Speaker 11: helping somebody else can be a really powerful antidote to 619 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:55,240 Speaker 11: your own woes. 620 00:38:55,840 --> 00:38:56,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. 621 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,680 Speaker 9: I think another lesson that comes on to his story 622 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:02,480 Speaker 9: in the teaching of the story of the prodigal Son, 623 00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:04,880 Speaker 9: which I'm sure you know the story. It's the father 624 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,399 Speaker 9: and two sons, and he had an inheritance, and one 625 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,960 Speaker 9: son took that inheritance and went out into the world 626 00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:14,560 Speaker 9: and just squandered the money and ended up destitute and 627 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:16,640 Speaker 9: in the street, and in such a situation that he 628 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:18,799 Speaker 9: had to come back begging to his father. And his 629 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 9: other son stayed on the farm, was faithful with a 630 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 9: diligent worker, and when met the prodigal son came home, 631 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:29,160 Speaker 9: the father was like, let's kill the fati cow. Let's 632 00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:30,960 Speaker 9: have a big feast, because my son has come home. 633 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 9: He loved him just as much as the son who 634 00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 9: had stayed behind and worked. You'd accept him with grace. 635 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 9: You need to bring him back into your house. 636 00:39:38,239 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 10: Oh yeah, yeah, we'll mess up. Everybody does stuff that 637 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:45,320 Speaker 10: they regret, and Matthew says, it like showing everyone else 638 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 10: how good we can eat, realizing that there are people 639 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,839 Speaker 10: who care about you, and furthermore, you should care about yourself. Yes, 640 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 10: I think that's very difficult for some of us to absorb. 641 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 10: I'm speaking about myself. There are days just like you 642 00:40:00,719 --> 00:40:05,680 Speaker 10: don't deserve anything, you should just rot. But of course 643 00:40:05,719 --> 00:40:06,719 Speaker 10: it's not true. 644 00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:08,040 Speaker 7: I can say that my life. 645 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:10,200 Speaker 11: I had teachers, I had parents, had people who came 646 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:13,760 Speaker 11: along and said, you can do this, you're capable, you're worthy, 647 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:18,840 Speaker 11: And it's impossible for me to imagine a life lived 648 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:24,319 Speaker 11: without those things, to endure that kind of situation where 649 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:26,799 Speaker 11: your human dignity is just stripped away and stripped away 650 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,000 Speaker 11: and stripped away and stripped away. And I just feel 651 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 11: like it's so easy to look at homeless people and 652 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,440 Speaker 11: see them on the street and say, oh, they're lazy 653 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,040 Speaker 11: or there's something wrong with them. 654 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:36,799 Speaker 10: It's their fault. 655 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:38,319 Speaker 7: Well I think, yeah, I think that. 656 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:42,560 Speaker 9: Saying oh they're lazy, they made these choices that led 657 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,160 Speaker 9: them to live in the street, is our way of 658 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 9: absolving ourself from the responsibility. 659 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:50,040 Speaker 10: There have been several studies where it has been proven 660 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 10: now that it is cheaper to house people than it 661 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:57,880 Speaker 10: is to have a houseless population. Yeah, Like if you 662 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:02,400 Speaker 10: give people the leg up, just the barest little step stool, 663 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 10: like one of those little little Fisher Price step stools, 664 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:07,960 Speaker 10: just to get into a place where they can help themselves, 665 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:12,279 Speaker 10: they probably will. They probably want to, you know, like 666 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 10: generally speaking, people would rather be comfortable and would rather 667 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:20,520 Speaker 10: be productive and want to be part of this society 668 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 10: and turning your back on them for. 669 00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:28,759 Speaker 9: What And that makes me proud of what First Prebeteria 670 00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:30,600 Speaker 9: is doing because they have a place where people can 671 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:33,680 Speaker 9: come in and take a shower, they can get fresh clothes, 672 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,359 Speaker 9: like you said, you can pick up a book there, 673 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:38,160 Speaker 9: you can get something to eat. They help with job counseling, 674 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 9: and a lot of people argue that that's the role 675 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:42,960 Speaker 9: of the church. But I can tell you my church 676 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:46,120 Speaker 9: doesn't have the resources to handle the entire homeless population 677 00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:49,720 Speaker 9: of Atlanta, and I think leaving it to the whims 678 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:54,279 Speaker 9: of a religious organization that may attach different requirements. He 679 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:56,839 Speaker 9: said he like going to First Priz because he said, 680 00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,480 Speaker 9: sometimes you feel taken advantage of as a homeless person. 681 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:02,960 Speaker 9: I'll give you this aid. But first you need to 682 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:06,239 Speaker 9: you know, hear my face, right, you know, And so 683 00:42:06,320 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 9: I think it has to come. It just should be 684 00:42:08,840 --> 00:42:12,600 Speaker 9: something we have the resources to cover. Lauren, you talk 685 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:15,880 Speaker 9: about how people will do whatever they can to find comfort, 686 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:20,360 Speaker 9: and Matthew talks about how that's such a driver to addiction. 687 00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,400 Speaker 9: Is if it's freezing cold and all you have with 688 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:26,040 Speaker 9: a T shirt and it's raining, and somebody offers you 689 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:29,200 Speaker 9: a hit of math, you're going to take the hit 690 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:31,759 Speaker 9: of math, you know, And you can't really fault. It's 691 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:35,360 Speaker 9: not like they're taking these drugs recreationally. They're taking it 692 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:37,040 Speaker 9: to deal with their pain. 693 00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:39,120 Speaker 7: Yeah, they're self medicating. 694 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:43,080 Speaker 10: One of the shows that I never got to fully 695 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:47,880 Speaker 10: produce is this podcast we were doing about the iplioid epidemic, 696 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:49,600 Speaker 10: and so I learned a lot about in the lock 697 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:52,080 Speaker 10: Zone as I was doing that. And the terrific thing 698 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:54,440 Speaker 10: about in the lock Zone is that you will never 699 00:42:54,560 --> 00:42:58,120 Speaker 10: hurt someone by giving them the lock Zone. You can 700 00:42:58,280 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 10: give them as many doses of it as you choose to. 701 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,360 Speaker 10: If you find someone in an overdose situation, you probably 702 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 10: should give them more than one. What happens during an 703 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:11,880 Speaker 10: opioid overdose is that Basically, the drug just kind of 704 00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 10: latches onto all of these receptors in your nervous system 705 00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:19,759 Speaker 10: and it shuts your systems down. You stop breathing, and 706 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,600 Speaker 10: all that the lockzone does is knock the drug off 707 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:26,000 Speaker 10: of those receptors. So if you don't have opioids in 708 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:30,160 Speaker 10: your body, it does nothing to you. It is not harmful. 709 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:33,480 Speaker 10: The Surgeon General of the United States used to do 710 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:35,239 Speaker 10: this stick where he would be up on stage and 711 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:37,840 Speaker 10: he would just inject himself with the lockzone like a 712 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 10: couple of times, just to prove how completely safe it was. 713 00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:44,239 Speaker 10: The reason that I said that you should probably give 714 00:43:44,239 --> 00:43:48,040 Speaker 10: people multiple doses is that just because the drug has 715 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:50,360 Speaker 10: been knocked off of those receptors doesn't mean that it 716 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:52,680 Speaker 10: can't find its way back on. It doesn't mean that 717 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:55,560 Speaker 10: there isn't enough of the drug on other receptors that 718 00:43:55,680 --> 00:43:57,839 Speaker 10: is still going to put someone in a place where 719 00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:01,680 Speaker 10: they're unable to Breathe always hole nine one one and 720 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 10: get medical aid out there, because they're going to need 721 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:06,040 Speaker 10: more than just that. 722 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 11: So you came upon somebody who was unconscious and you 723 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:14,319 Speaker 11: were not sure whether they had ingested any drugs or not, 724 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:20,040 Speaker 11: and you noticed that they weren't breathing, or their breathing 725 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:22,600 Speaker 11: was slowed or whatever, and you couldn't wake them up. 726 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 11: Would it be okay to go ahead and give them 727 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:28,040 Speaker 11: the lock zone? Yep, even if you had no certainty 728 00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:31,600 Speaker 11: about what was wrong with them. Absolutely, there's no situation 729 00:44:31,719 --> 00:44:33,960 Speaker 11: which like, oh, giving the lock zone is actually going 730 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:35,839 Speaker 11: to complicate their condition, not that. 731 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:41,520 Speaker 10: I'm personally aware of. And furthermore, they did this amazing 732 00:44:41,560 --> 00:44:44,840 Speaker 10: study on some packets of the lock zone that had 733 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:46,960 Speaker 10: I think they'd been like stuck in the back of 734 00:44:46,960 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 10: an EMT vehicle for seventeen years or something. They pulled 735 00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:52,839 Speaker 10: them out they were still good. So you can keep them. 736 00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:54,960 Speaker 10: You can keep them in your car. You can just 737 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,560 Speaker 10: put them in your glove compartment and hang on to them. 738 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:00,239 Speaker 10: And there's no reason not. 739 00:45:00,239 --> 00:45:02,640 Speaker 7: Tease you do do you? Just like? Is it like 740 00:45:02,680 --> 00:45:03,640 Speaker 7: a EpiPen? 741 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:03,960 Speaker 10: Like? 742 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:04,759 Speaker 7: What do you? 743 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:06,040 Speaker 10: There are a few different it. 744 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:06,920 Speaker 7: Is it like pulp fiction? 745 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 10: It's kind of like pulp fiction. Uh, they make an 746 00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:16,080 Speaker 10: injectable version. They make a couple different kinds of injectables. 747 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:19,279 Speaker 10: There's one that's really super friendly. There's one that's a 748 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:21,239 Speaker 10: little bit scarier because it is a needle and so 749 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:23,040 Speaker 10: you have to find like a like a large muscle 750 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:27,080 Speaker 10: tissue just you know, like a thigh or upper arms 751 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:31,200 Speaker 10: something like that. And then the brand name nar Can 752 00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:34,440 Speaker 10: refers to the nasal spray and that's just a little 753 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:37,480 Speaker 10: push cartridge, like you're using a nasal spray. 754 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:41,520 Speaker 7: Okay, I'm going to go stock up. 755 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:47,239 Speaker 10: Yeah, please do uh. It is relatively inexpensive as of 756 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:49,600 Speaker 10: the last time I checked over the counter. You don't 757 00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:53,200 Speaker 10: need a prescription to receive it in some states. And 758 00:45:53,239 --> 00:45:58,240 Speaker 10: again there are organizations prevention organizations, harm harm reduction organizations 759 00:45:58,360 --> 00:46:02,960 Speaker 10: in most urban air certainly that we'll probably be able 760 00:46:02,960 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 10: to hook you up with something for. 761 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:06,480 Speaker 11: Free if you can give me any like you got 762 00:46:06,520 --> 00:46:08,239 Speaker 11: any quick information I could put in the show notes. 763 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,799 Speaker 10: Yeah, yeah, I can. I can give you. Yeah, I'll 764 00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:15,400 Speaker 10: link you to Georgia Overdose Productive Prevention. They're terrific. 765 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:16,320 Speaker 7: Okay. 766 00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 9: There's also an organization that somebody will stay on the 767 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:26,040 Speaker 9: line with you if you're doing heroin or any drugs 768 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:28,680 Speaker 9: in case you have an overdose, they can call yeah, 769 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,040 Speaker 9: the police. And I understand how this sounds to somebody 770 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:35,040 Speaker 9: who is not fluent in drug culture, and one of 771 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:39,440 Speaker 9: those people I never have done drugs. Really, people are 772 00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,920 Speaker 9: addicted and they want to stop using drugs, but having 773 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,279 Speaker 9: them have an overdose and die from that overdose is 774 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:48,239 Speaker 9: not the solution, you know, So I think, you know, 775 00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:51,520 Speaker 9: doing what first PRESI did for Matthew and giving them 776 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:53,799 Speaker 9: a way to find their way out of this situation 777 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,200 Speaker 9: when they're ready. That was another key part of his story. 778 00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:58,239 Speaker 9: I mean they asked him several times. He went twenty 779 00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:00,319 Speaker 9: years of this and he had to be ready to 780 00:47:00,360 --> 00:47:01,360 Speaker 9: make that move himself. 781 00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:01,719 Speaker 3: Yeah. 782 00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:04,400 Speaker 10: Like with anything, it's it's again. It comes back to 783 00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:07,280 Speaker 10: a sense of personal responsibility. 784 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:10,960 Speaker 11: And make anybody do anything right you has to come 785 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:12,200 Speaker 11: from them. 786 00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:12,560 Speaker 7: Yeah. 787 00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:15,840 Speaker 9: Yeah, And he spoke offul In parts of the story avenues, 788 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:19,520 Speaker 9: he talked about how difficult he was during that period. 789 00:47:19,600 --> 00:47:21,080 Speaker 7: I mean, and yet. 790 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:25,200 Speaker 9: He was redeemable. Everybody has inherent worth. I think that's 791 00:47:25,239 --> 00:47:28,120 Speaker 9: what we take from Matthew's story. Everybody is redeemable. 792 00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:34,160 Speaker 12: Next time and alive again, we meet Jessica Sanchez, whose 793 00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:37,279 Speaker 12: battle with cancer and a life threatening miscarriage led her 794 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,960 Speaker 12: through a labyrinth of systemic medical oversight and emotional trauma, 795 00:47:41,480 --> 00:47:45,080 Speaker 12: ultimately revealing for her a profound connection between mind and body. 796 00:47:46,719 --> 00:47:49,319 Speaker 13: When there is something that is a perceived danger. It 797 00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:52,360 Speaker 13: will flood your brain with enough fear to make you act. 798 00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:57,239 Speaker 13: This much pain means something's wrong. I need to get 799 00:47:57,239 --> 00:48:00,200 Speaker 13: to the hospital. Now, having gotten through all of this, 800 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:04,400 Speaker 13: all of these near death experiences, I'm so proud of 801 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:08,200 Speaker 13: myself and I feel so much stronger, and I feel 802 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:11,640 Speaker 13: like I'll be able to navigate some of the harder 803 00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:13,920 Speaker 13: things that I know that are coming around the corner. 804 00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:19,240 Speaker 1: Our story producers are Dan Bush, Kate Sweeney, Brent die 805 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:24,120 Speaker 1: Nicholas Dakoski, and Lauren vogelbah music by Ben Lovett, additional 806 00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:28,240 Speaker 1: music by Alexander Rodriguez. Our executive producers are Matthew Frederick 807 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:31,480 Speaker 1: and Trevor Young. Special thanks to Alexander Williams for additional 808 00:48:31,480 --> 00:48:35,279 Speaker 1: production support. Our studio engineers are Rima L. K Ali 809 00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:39,360 Speaker 1: and Noams Griffin. Today's episode was edited by Mike w Anderson, 810 00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:43,200 Speaker 1: mixing by Ben Lovett and Alexander Rodriguez. I'm your host 811 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:47,040 Speaker 1: Dan Busch. The special thanks to Matthew Fortune for sharing 812 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:49,719 Speaker 1: his powerful story with us. His journey sheds light on 813 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:53,560 Speaker 1: the complexities of addiction, survival, and resilience, reminding us of 814 00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:56,480 Speaker 1: the importance of compassion and support. If you or someone 815 00:48:56,480 --> 00:48:59,239 Speaker 1: you know is affected by substance abuse, The National Harm 816 00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:03,080 Speaker 1: Reduction Co provides vital resources to promote health and safety. 817 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:08,320 Speaker 1: Learn more at harm reduction dot org. Alive Again is 818 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:11,600 Speaker 1: a production of i Art Radio and Psychopia Pictures. If 819 00:49:11,640 --> 00:49:14,640 Speaker 1: you have a transformative near death experience to share, we'd 820 00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:18,320 Speaker 1: love to hear your story. Please email us at Alive 821 00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:20,920 Speaker 1: Again project at gmail dot com. 822 00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:24,239 Speaker 12: That's a l i v e A g A I 823 00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:28,400 Speaker 12: N p R O j E c T at gmail 824 00:49:28,440 --> 00:49:48,279 Speaker 12: dot com.