Matthew & Steven Fisher
Back from Broken
Colorado Public Radio
5 • 703 Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2023
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Matthew Fisher always felt like an outsider. He struggled to make friends and was overcome by mood swings. By age 13, he turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. His father, Steven, watched from the sidelines, desperately trying to help his son. This is the story of how a father and son found recovery and healed their rocky relationship.
Back From Broken is a show about how we are all broken sometimes, and how we need help from time to time. If you’re struggling, you can find a list of resources at BackFromBroken.org.
Host: Vic Vela
Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg
Editor: Jo Erickson
Additional editorial support: Erin Jones, Kibwe Cooper, Emily Williams, Andrew Villegas
Music: Daniel Mescher and Brad Turner with additional music from Universal Production Music
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Thanks also to Rachel Estabrook, Hart van Denburg, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Arielle Wilson, Kim Nguyen.
BackFromBroken.org
On Twitter: @VicVela1
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, it's Vic. Just want to let you know this episode contains some strong language, so please |
| 0:05.4 | be advised. In three, two, one. When I was a kid, I was a lot for my parents to handle. |
| 0:15.1 | I mean, all kids have their moments, right? But when you add drugs and alcohol, I would always make things interesting, that's for |
| 0:23.2 | sure. Like this one time, I was about 16, and I'd been out partying all night. I passed out near a river, |
| 0:31.8 | and when I woke up the next morning, I was sore and bloodied and realized I had gotten into a fight. I don't remember any of it, |
| 0:41.2 | and I was still drunk when I awoke. And who was left to deal with me? My mom and dad. |
| 0:50.7 | I know that my drug addiction was really hard on them. And you know, there's lots of other |
| 0:56.7 | parents out there who can relate to seeing their kids suffer. Stephen Fisher is one of them. |
| 1:03.0 | Because parents, we all have those moments where we wake up at 2 o'clock in the morning |
| 1:06.9 | in a cold sweat, thinking of how we screwed up our kids. I think, I don't know if any parent |
| 1:11.7 | have ever talked to who has not had some of those moments. And they get all of our dysfunction, |
| 1:16.8 | but they get our good parts too. And I have to say this journey has been, it hasn't been easy, |
| 1:21.1 | but it's been absolutely beautiful. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. But we've earned it |
| 1:25.8 | the hard way. We've had to go through hell and back to really get to a better place today. |
| 1:32.6 | Stephen and his wife are therapists. |
| 1:35.0 | And while they often would help other families work through their issues, |
| 1:39.1 | their own son Matt was struggling with drugs and alcohol as a teenager. |
| 1:44.1 | Matt felt that getting drunk and high helped him control his mood swings. |
| 1:48.8 | I think it was like trying to self-soothe and I was like, you know, I don't want to be so angry anymore and I don't want to feel so out of control. |
| 1:57.3 | Addiction really is a family disease. It affects everyone in the household. And if you're a parent or a child |
| 2:04.8 | struggling with addiction and destructive behavior, maybe you'll hear your own family's story in the |
| 2:10.3 | Fischer's. Today we're going to hear from Stephen and Matt Fisher about the ways Matt struggles |
... |
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