GET OUT OF THE PRISON OF YOUR MIND –
Jan. 7, 2026 – Imagine the Grinch as a porch pirate, stealing to feed a drug habit. After he’s shunned by fellow thieves, he has a change of heart and returns one of the stolen packages. Another Grinch answers the door — the father he thought had abandoned him. This was the retelling of the classic tale that was staged last month in the Vista jail by the men in its medication-assisted treatment module. Their story reflects themes that surface often in addiction recovery: accountability, acceptance and what a second chance can look like.
Like the Grinch, Eric Klein, who co-wrote and narrated the play, was at a crossroads when he entered what’s known as the MAT module. Years of opioid addiction had cost him everything.
“I lost my wife, my house, all the cars. Everything just went, and I hit bottom,” he said.
Earlier this year, Klein was arrested near the San Ysidro trolley station selling stolen sneakers to pay for drugs. He had completed treatment programs before and even worked as a counselor, he said. But he’d reached a point where he was done trying.
