PART TWO: Prison Terms, Interstate Theft Rings, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Credit Card Fraud Rings, Prostitution Extortion Scams, Extreme Paranoia and Destroyed Rental Cars with Matt Handy

PART TWO: Prison Terms, Interstate Theft Rings, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Credit Card Fraud Rings, Prostitution Extortion Scams, Extreme Paranoia and Destroyed Rental Cars with Matt Handy

What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This instalment of Chasing Heroine follows Matt Handy through the chaos of street life, crime, and a wildly unconventional route into recovery. The conversation picks up as Matt and his partner consciously choose homelessness in downtown San Diego, living in a tent and funding their habit through crime. Matt talks about the "freedom that comes with being homeless" while also calling it one of the most confusing times of his life.

Covid hits, policing loosens, and his offending escalates into residential burglaries, weapons charges, and eventually a bank robbery carried out with a note claiming, "I have a bomb in my backpack". You’ll hear how multiple agencies – from major crimes to anti-terrorism – close in on him, and how facing a 33-year sentence becomes the turning point.

Matt wrangles a chance at the infamous Delancey Street programme, describing it as "the craziest situation I've ever been in", and eventually leaves, risking prison to find a more sustainable path in a different faith-based residential setting. A key part of this episode is Matt's spiritual shift.

Sitting in a bible camp as an atheist, he hears stories that mirror his own and realises, "I'm either really lucky or there is a God." That single thought changes his outlook on life and recovery. He also begins opening up about childhood sexual abuse, starting therapy, and finding genuine healing.

Later, when a brief relapse in Texas leaves him miserable despite attending up to five meetings a day, a blunt late-night call to former Navy SEAL Taylor Cavanaugh introduces him to a new routine and peer support. Matt shares how swapping meetings-for-meetings’ sake for purpose-driven recovery leads him to owning a treatment centre, certifying peer support specialists, and building a life centred around helping others.

If you’re curious about non‑traditional recovery paths, spiritual turning points, and life after extreme chaos, this episode might be exactly what you need right now.