Legacy Lives OnLegacy Lives On
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Coach Blu Robinson talks with David Matthews about losing his father to addiction, growing up with conflicting memories, and turning that pain into a legacy through poetry and service. The conversation focuses on kids left behind, supportive families, and the quiet strength of those who stay sober around addiction.
1:00:43•31 Dec 2018
Legacy Lives On: A Son’s Story of Addiction, Loss and Hope
Episode Overview
- Children of addicted parents may carry both heroic and painful memories, and need space to hold both without shame.
- Losing a parent to addiction does not erase their goodness; as David says, amazing people can make harmful choices that ripple through a family.
- Grandparents and step-parents can play a crucial, patient role by being present, supportive, and allowing children to choose into relationships.
- Creative outlets like poetry and video can help turn personal pain into messages that reach peers and challenge drug use culture.
- Loved ones who haven’t used substances themselves (“muggles”) bring a vital perspective and resilience that can strongly support recovery communities.
“I’m sick of phone calls followed by tears. I know you don’t know what it’s like.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between Coach Blu Robinson and athlete David Matthews offers a rare look at addiction through the eyes of a child left behind. Rather than focusing on substances and statistics, the episode leans into family, faith, and legacy. David shares how he lost his father to addiction at just nine years old, then later pieced together his dad’s story through journals and family memories.
He talks about the clash between seeing his dad as a hero and remembering “very not heroic” moments of withdrawal and chaos, and how he eventually came to see that “amazing people can get caught up in not very amazing behaviours.” The style is relaxed, humorous at times, and deeply emotional without being heavy-handed. Coach Blu keeps things grounded with casual chat and gentle questions, while David offers a calm, reflective voice that many children of addicted parents will recognise.
This isn’t aimed only at those in active addiction; it’s especially powerful for grandparents, step-parents, and anyone caring for kids after a parent has died or relapsed. One highlight is David’s account of writing his poem "The Piano Man" about his dad, first for a high-school open mic and later as a video widely used in schools.
He describes standing at the mic as the room fell silent after the opening line: “I’m sick of phone calls followed by tears.” That silence, and the friends who later said “I’m done” with drugs, helped cement his path into addiction recovery work. If you’ve ever worried about the children who remain when addiction takes a parent, this episode offers comfort, perspective, and a gentle reminder that “legacy lives on” in ways we might not expect.
Who in your life needs to hear that their story isn’t over yet?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.