Today, Matthew shines bright and is full of energy and optimism. But he’s travelled a long and challenging road to find this new place of positivity.
Matthew is sharp and energetic with a real knack for creative writing and all things musical. Today he describes himself as compassionate, intelligent and creative. Rewind to three years ago and he would have described himself as lost, irrational and impatient. Like many young people, he tried drugs at parties, but it was when he was introduced to the drug Ice at 18 years old, that the downward spiral began.
Ice (Crystal methamphetamine) took a hold of him and it wasn’t long before he was using it three times a week and struggling to keep his job as a carpenter. Eyes sunken in and a “skinny wreck”, he often went missing for days at a time. Until one day, his family’s desperate appeals for him to get help worked.
Having tried to detox from drugs at home without success, he decided to apply to Triple Care Farm’s withdrawal program, David Martin Place. The first few nights were spent crying in his room, but an encouraging letter from his sister spurred him on. Soon enough, he moved into the rehabilitation program where he spent three months getting well and preparing for new opportunities. In his own words, it was “the chance to start from square one.”
Matthew is a talented rapper and songwriter. During his time at the Farm, the music program was his refuge. He wrote an incredible rap titled, ‘Triple Care Farm’ which shares his journey and the impact of the support he was getting through the program.
Watch the video of Matthew performing the rap and read some of the moving lyrics below.
