RIP dvxuser Matt Grunau.

WOW! Pretty shocking news. Matt was one of the coolest people on here and we traded a lot of Photoshop tips over the years... I never got around to getting him a pic so he could give me the "frog" makeover though...

Very sad indeed... I wish his family the best.

R.I.P. buddy...
 
Terrible. RIP.

Absolutely EVERYBODY tries to make me drink... even under protest people push drinks on me.

This was like a punch to the gut. I recognize this. I'll be a lot stronger now in refusing. Sometimes it's easy to just give in and "be one of the gang", and this goes on and on, and then one day you discover you can't control it. Seriously, it's better to lose those "friendships" than lose your life. So sad.
 
I really don't want to be intrusive (or sound insensitive), but what happened? alcohol related accident? liver failure? or suicide? As with many of you, this news has shaken me a bit. Charli's post leaves a lot to the imagination, and we all know how that can lead to speculation. Alcohol and suicide go hand in hand quite often, but many times there's underlying issue's with the depression that need to be dealt with before even thinking about treating the alcoholism.

That being said, I understand if those closest would like to keep these matters private, and I totally respect that.
 
My first impression was an accident, maybe vehicular, or a heart attack or other health related issue.
 
Stephen Mick said:
From a post on Gru's FB Wall…
Click to expand...

@Ryan, that is exactly the ending that I imagined from Charli's post. I have lost a lot of friends to substance abuse, and while we all think that there must be some dramatic end to their suffering, most of the time it is just that simple; called home when at rest. There are specific physiological reasons for this, however, details of that are not appropriate in a post like this, IMHO.
 
I agree... and understand. Again, all I can think to say is I offer my condolences to his loved ones.
 
I had a good friend die in his sleep. Like Matt he had issues with Alcohol and a history of panic attacks, so he was also taking Xanax. The combination of Xanax and alcohol was deadly for him as it slowed his breathing to the point where it stopped altogether.
 
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It isn't insensitive to ask what happened - we're all catching up on news that took much too long to reach us. It is difficult to make sense of this loss when we aren't connected in a more conventional way. I hope his family has a good network of support. Touching on what Chad said in his post, it is interesting to think that there are dozens (or perhaps hundreds) of people who counted Matt as a friend who are only now coming to terms with our loss. A co-worker recently told us that he'd lost a friend who he only knew through FaceBook - but the sting of her death was just as palpable as if he'd known her more closely.
 
I also don't think it's insensitive to know what happened. I think it's human nature and concern. To go into further detail, when Matty called me he was absolutely bawling out of control that he got kicked out of the house. In his words, "I deserve it." For a month or two I was able to talk to him about that frantic time in his life. He had no vehicle, borrowed his in-laws until they took that away from him. He was losing things left and right.

He got a job I believe at AT&T or some mobile phone at a kiosk in a mall. I knew that would not last because he was not sober. In order to see his kid he had to go to some AAA meetings but everything with him at that time was a desperate hour. Months passed and I didn't hear from him because I was going through my own little hell in having to leave Santa Monica to live in the desert.

I called him last year after I had settled to a degree and his phone was still working. I called several times, left messages, but he never called back. I suspect the worse before I suspect a natural occurrence. But then again, when you hear a friend cry like a baby several times on the phone, you can imagine the worse.

I too would like to know the details, but not sure where to get them from. His wife would have nothing to do with him, in-laws were upset with him, it was just a mess, mess, mess.

Matty was our friend who went through a tough time. Don't let your first drink of the morning be Bourbon. Don't have to start your job with two or three shots of some hard liquor. This was not a beer drinking guy. He was on the heavy stuff. Take note. What happened to him could happen to you.
 
It really is all the more tragic with the details. A tough and lonely way to leave this life...
 
Very sad about this... wake up call that life is indeed short... sometimes shorter than we think....

He'll be missed....
 
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