Mat got sober at 19 in High Point, NC. Having OD'ed in 1986, a therapist sent him to AA. He still recalls how welcoming they were. He joined a Young People group where he got his first sponsor. Years later, he found a men's meeting to be intimidating. He joined it as his home group, connecting with a smaller meeting of the group.

Mat's sobriety date is 20MAY1987 and his home group is Summit Men's Group in Greensboro, NC.