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From Little League to Prison Gates | Paul Mathews' Battle with Addiction
Paul Mathews grew up with all the advantages of a typical Utah kid: he had a stay-at-home mom, was coached by his dad in various little league sports, and went on to play high school baseball. In spite of his picture-perfect upbringing, he struggled to find himself and when his parents' marriage fell apart, his life started to spiral. His addictive behaviors started young with alcohol being his escape of choice. Eventually turning to hard drugs and dealing, that semblance of a normal life was gone and he dove head first into addiction, dealing, and crime. Hear how his experience in prison did little to curb his direction and how finally, thanks to a parole officer who saw the good in him and gave him a break, he mustered the strength to escape the cycle of hurt and was determined to choose his own destiny.
“I was a complete liar because I wanted to fit in. I wanted for some reason, I wanted everybody to like me. I wanted to fit in with this group and this group, so I would lie ‘Hey I’m this and I’m this.’ and it was complete BS the whole time. Up until I went to prison and I realized you don’t lie in prison. If you lie, you’re gonna have a rough go. You’re gonna get beat up, be in protective custody, and you're gonna have a long, long, long, long journey in prison and I got to the point where I’d rather have people hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not, whether I have friends or not.” 42:41
- Paul’s early life 2:15
- No one knew he was falling 14:50
- Finishing high school 27:00
- Getting pain pills, opioids, alcohol 35:50
- Becoming a meth dealer 40:00
- Prison locations 48:00
- Getting out 52:00
- Realizing the power of God 63:00
“I was a complete liar because I wanted to fit in. I wanted for some reason, I wanted everybody to like me. I wanted to fit in with this group and this group, so I would lie ‘Hey I’m this and I’m this.’ and it was complete BS the whole time. Up until I went to prison and I realized you don’t lie in prison. If you lie, you’re gonna have a rough go. You’re gonna get beat up, be in protective custody, and you're gonna have a long, long, long, long journey in prison and I got to the point where I’d rather have people hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not, whether I have friends or not.” 42:41
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By Mark HugentoblerPaul Mathews grew up with all the advantages of a typical Utah kid: he had a stay-at-home mom, was coached by his dad in various little league sports, and went on to play high school baseball. In spite of his picture-perfect upbringing, he struggled to find himself and when his parents' marriage fell apart, his life started to spiral. His addictive behaviors started young with alcohol being his escape of choice. Eventually turning to hard drugs and dealing, that semblance of a normal life was gone and he dove head first into addiction, dealing, and crime. Hear how his experience in prison did little to curb his direction and how finally, thanks to a parole officer who saw the good in him and gave him a break, he mustered the strength to escape the cycle of hurt and was determined to choose his own destiny.
“I was a complete liar because I wanted to fit in. I wanted for some reason, I wanted everybody to like me. I wanted to fit in with this group and this group, so I would lie ‘Hey I’m this and I’m this.’ and it was complete BS the whole time. Up until I went to prison and I realized you don’t lie in prison. If you lie, you’re gonna have a rough go. You’re gonna get beat up, be in protective custody, and you're gonna have a long, long, long, long journey in prison and I got to the point where I’d rather have people hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not, whether I have friends or not.” 42:41
- Paul’s early life 2:15
- No one knew he was falling 14:50
- Finishing high school 27:00
- Getting pain pills, opioids, alcohol 35:50
- Becoming a meth dealer 40:00
- Prison locations 48:00
- Getting out 52:00
- Realizing the power of God 63:00
“I was a complete liar because I wanted to fit in. I wanted for some reason, I wanted everybody to like me. I wanted to fit in with this group and this group, so I would lie ‘Hey I’m this and I’m this.’ and it was complete BS the whole time. Up until I went to prison and I realized you don’t lie in prison. If you lie, you’re gonna have a rough go. You’re gonna get beat up, be in protective custody, and you're gonna have a long, long, long, long journey in prison and I got to the point where I’d rather have people hate me for who I am than love me for who I’m not, whether I have friends or not.” 42:41