Losing Control: How Heroin Hijacked Matt Heskett’s Life and the Friends Who Pulled Him BackLosing Control: How Heroin Hijacked Matt Heskett’s Life and the Friends Who Pulled Him Back
Bare Knuckle Recovery
Matt Heskett talks through his journey from college partying to heroin addiction, interventions, and finally committing to treatment. He also shares how grief, trauma and family life shape his recovery ten years on.
54:36•3 Aug 2026
Heroin, Friendship and a Second Chance: Matt Heskett’s Bare Knuckle Recovery
Episode Overview
- Short detox stays without deeper work did not help Matt; long-term treatment and sober living with accountability were crucial.
- Honest interventions from close friends forced him to face the reality that "people know" and he could no longer hide his heroin use.
- A police officer’s compassion and blunt question about his life helped push Matt toward his final, successful trip to treatment.
- Grief counselling and trauma therapy were key in dealing with his girlfriend’s overdose and later PTSD around his daughter’s birth.
- Matt chose to be fully open about his addiction and recovery, which reduced shame and opened doors to work in the treatment field.
“"Is this really what my life is today? And knowing this is not what it's supposed to be."”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of addiction, relapse and hard-won sobriety in this Bare Knuckle Recovery episode. The conversation centres on Matt Heskett, who lays out how heroin took over his life despite what looked like a "normal" and even successful start. You’ll hear Matt talk about growing up in a stable Catholic family, going to IU Bloomington and graduating, yet always being the person who took things to the extreme.
A 90‑day Percocet prescription for a smashed hand becomes the turning point: "They gave me like 90 days worth of Percocet. And so naturally me being the kind of person I am like, hey, let's just take all 90." When the pills run out and the sickness hits, he starts chasing opioids – and eventually heroin – while clinging to the idea of being a "functioning" adult with a job.
The episode walks through job loss, burning bridges with family, interventions from lifelong friends, and grim encounters with police. One officer on the east side of Indianapolis looks at Matt’s IU ID and says, "Dude, what the heck are you doing…?" before uncuffing him and telling him to go back to treatment.
Matt later describes sitting in his car at a gas station asking himself, "Is this really what my life is today?" That moment, plus his parents’ firm boundaries, finally pushes him into meaningful treatment at Fairbanks. You’ll also hear about grief, trauma and long-term recovery: the overdose death of his girlfriend Jasmine, the impact of therapy, PTSD resurfacing after a scary birth of his daughter, and the ongoing work of staying "spiritually fit" ten years sober.
Matt’s honesty about shame, employment fears and choosing to be completely open about his recovery will resonate with anyone who’s ever thought, "Why can’t I just stop?" If you’re wondering whether life can be rebuilt after heroin, this episode might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for.
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