Don Matis, Jr. on What It Takes to Stay Sober 40 Years | Episode 503

Don Matis, Jr. on What It Takes to Stay Sober 40 Years | Episode 503

From Voices for Voices® by Founder of Voices for Voices®, Justin Alan Hayes

May 18, 2026 · 19 min · Season 5 · Episode 503

About this episode

Don Matis Jr. shares his journey of staying sober for 40 years and the importance of continuous vigilance in recovery.

Forty years sober sounds like a headline, but it’s actually thousands of small choices stacked on top of each other. We met up with Don Matis Jr. out at Hudson Springs Park on a bright day to celebrate a bright kind of win: four decades free from alcohol and drugs. Don doesn’t romanticize recovery. He talks about how sobriety is built minute by minute, how quickly “just one” can turn into a full relapse, and why staying alert matters even after 20 or 40 years. We also go deeper than the mile...

People in this episode

Host: Justin Alan Hayes

Guest: Don Matis Jr.

Topics covered

  • sobriety
  • recovery
  • mental health
  • addiction
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • sober
  • recovery
  • alcohol
  • drugs
  • relapse
  • mental health
  • choices

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Hudson Springs Park

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