# Drug Addicted Couple-Elizabeth and Matthew Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaJJkskwX5k Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/FaJJkskwX5k Generated: 2026-01-07T12:05:06.191+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Elizabeth and Matthew, a couple from Monrovia, California, are currently homeless and using fentanyl and methamphetamine, attributing their current situation to past trauma, including Matthew's 17-year prison sentence for a carjacking resulting in injury and Elizabeth's history of childhood abuse compounded by a manipulative ex-partner who caused her to lose her career and custody of one child. **Key Points:** - Elizabeth and Matthew are 40 years old, from Monroia, and currently live in a tent in Highland Park, going to MacArthur Park to buy fentanyl and meth. - Matthew served 17 years in prison after stealing a car when he was 18, an event that escalated to robbery with great bodily injury when the owner was hurt; he started using heroin in prison, where it became an 'acceptable' way of life. - Elizabeth has four children with three different fathers, and while she maintains contact with some, she has not seen her five-year-old son in three years because his millionaire father, who she claims stalked and manipulated her, was given custody after a corrupt system failed her. - Elizabeth attributes her substance use and inability to connect with people to childhood trauma involving her divorced parents and abuse from her stepfather, stating, 'The drugs are a way of escaping that, right?' - Matthew believes their childhood experiences shaped their path, noting that a lack of early embrace and being told negative things led to bad self-esteem, while Elizabeth emphasizes embracing her children as individuals to correct the patterns she experienced. - Matthew recently started a 'sublocade shot' in jail to help him get off fentanyl, and they are currently surviving by stealing from stores and selling items in MacArthur Park. - Despite their situation, Elizabeth values Matthew's sincerity and unending love, calling him her best friend, and she expresses a desire to get back to her 17-year career as a hairdresser. **Context:** This transcript captures an interview with Elizabeth and Matthew, a couple experiencing homelessness in the Los Angeles area due to severe substance use disorder involving fentanyl and meth. They detail their complicated pasts: Matthew spent nearly two decades incarcerated for a serious crime committed in his youth, while Elizabeth comes from a middle-class background but traces her struggles back to childhood abuse and subsequent tumultuous relationships, including one that led to the loss of her career and custody battles over her children. ## Detailed Analysis Elizabeth and Matthew, both 40, discuss their current reality of living in a tent and using fentanyl and meth, which they acquire by stealing and selling goods near MacArthur Park. Matthew explains that his path was heavily influenced by prison, where he began using heroin after receiving a long sentence for a carjacking that injured the owner, noting that prison normalized drug use as a 'way of life.' Elizabeth points to childhood trauma, including abuse from a stepfather, as the root of her issues, leading her to seek connection elsewhere. Her story is further complicated by losing custody of her youngest son to an ex-partner who allegedly stalked her and manipulated the court system, despite her having a successful 17-year career as a hairdresser before this man destroyed her life. They both express a desire for stability, emphasizing that housing is the 'foundation of everything' needed to change their situation. Matthew is attempting to curb his fentanyl use via a 'sublocade shot,' and Elizabeth stresses that while they are addicts, they are functioning and their homelessness stems from the severe trauma and systemic failures they endured, not just drug use itself. ### Relationship Dynamics - Elizabeth values Matthew's sincerity and unending love, calling him her best friend, despite him blowing through money they briefly had and their current struggles - Matthew expresses that Elizabeth is the best thing in his life, reinforcing their bond. ### Criminal History and Incarceration - Matthew went to prison at 18 for stealing a car where the owner was injured, leading to a robbery charge; he started heroin in prison where drug use was normalized as 'acceptable' and a 'way of life'. ### Elizabeth's Custody Battle and Trauma - Elizabeth lost her career and custody of her five-year-old son to a manipulative ex-partner who stalked her, leading to a 10-year stayaway order for him; she feels the children's court system failed her despite proving the man's malicious actions. ### Current Lifestyle and Coping Mechanisms - They use fentanyl and meth, fund their habit by stealing and selling items in MacArthur Park, and suffer from lack of sleep, leading to agitation and memory loss; Elizabeth notes fentanyl decreases the drive to fight for important things. ### Parenting Philosophies - Elizabeth actively embraces her children as individuals and encourages emotional expression, contrasting this with how she was treated; Matthew agrees that childhood abuse severely impacts self-worth. ### Future Outlook and Change - Both confirm their current situation is temporary, depending on 'user choices'; Matthew is starting a sublocade shot to manage fentanyl use, and Elizabeth hopes to resume her hairdressing career.