Nick HutchisonFounder and CEO, BookThinkers

Matias Barnes opens up about his journey and decision to overcome his addiction.

18 Sept 2023 · 1 min

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1:01

In this interview, Matias Barnes (Speaker B) explains what motivated him to quit heroin, emphasizing that recovery begins with a personal decision. He recounts that his relationship with Lisa sparked his resolve to change. Barnes outlines a four-step framework he follows for major life changes: imagine, decide, plan (including research), and execute. He applied this method to his addiction recovery, choosing methadone as a treatment, which he used for about a year despite disliking it. The conversation highlights his personal journey, the structured approach he uses for change, and his experience with methadone treatment.

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You were able to overcome your addiction to heroin. And I'm just really curious because that is— that's such a hard one to get off, at least from my experience. I have a brother-in-law who died from a heroin overdose. I've known several other people that have fought with that and plagued with that.
What drove you to stop using heroin? Like, what drove you? Well, it always starts with a decision, right? And once you decide to go on the journey, then you got to put your shoes on and you still got to walk all those steps. When I decided to, you know, was really when Lisa and I got together. I decided, like, you know what, I got to be done with this. And I didn't know how. I really didn't. And I, I just gotta find a way. And just like anything else I've done, you just decide. And really it's a 4-step process, which isn't in my book, but it'll be in a future book. No, actually imagine, decide, plan, which includes research, and then execute. And that's what I've done with everything in my life. And so I was like, oh well, I guess methadone's the way. And so I was on methadone for like a year, which I hated that. Oh, it was terrible. It starts with a decision. You have to decide. You have to want to be the— and it's not, I think people