ST. GEORGE— “My Last Call,” a live radio talk show that offers help to people suffering from addictions celebrates 15 years on the air today. Dedicated to finding solutions to the age old problem of addictions, My Last Call is a forum for individuals whose lives have become unmanageable due to substance abuse and related issues.

Dan Murphy, the host of My Last Call, got clean March 24, 1986, and made it his life’s mission to help others heal as well.

“He came to me 15 years ago with an idea for his show, and it just made sense,” Bryan Hyde, program director for KZNU, said. “This is a guy who had seen firsthand what addiction can do and he has devoted so much of his life to other people, a lot of people have gratitude for him. He’s promoting solutions and awareness in nonjudgmental fashion. He’s a good man.”

Due to “wreckage of the past” Murphy suffers lung issues and has had many bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia. But March 4, 2012, Murphy had a health scare which awoke he and his wife at 3 a.m., when he stopped breathing. He collapsed, and awoke the next day.

“My aortic valve had shut down,” Murphy said. “It was brittle with all the fluids in my lungs.”

Murphy had suffered a flash pulmonary edema. Fully recovered, Murphy didn’t let this stop him from continuing to reach out to others.

“I am a lot more grateful for everything I have in my life and it’s made me a better person physically, emotionally and spiritually” Murphy said. “I’m very blessed.”

So-called “retired,” Murphy is a licensed counselor; he’s worked with the Southwest Behavioral Health Center for a number of years, and visits St. George’s Correctional Facility every Monday to facilitate support groups for those without access to treatment.

“I wish I could do more, but I have a family,” Murphy said. “I retired last year.”

“I also run some men’s structured sober living homes for people in their early stages of recovery,” Murphy said. “We help them detox to get clarity of the mind and introduce new behaviors to them. If they have a willingness to look at themselves – because they are in fact the problem – we can help.”

“I’ve seen a lot of shows come and go over 15 years,” Hyde said, “he’s not only endured but he’s grown, and the quality continues to go up.”

Regarding what Murphy would want for his 15 year anniversary, Hyde said, “My guess is that Dan would want for the dialogue to expand — for more people to start talking about it.”

In Murphy’s own words:

I have been given the freedom of recovery and the greatest reward for me is to see or hear from someone I was allowed to help along the way and know they are doing better.

 

Join Murphy and guests Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. on My Last Call, which broadcasts every week on Fox News KZNU 1450 AM/93.1 FM and also streams online. Listeners are encouraged to share questions, comments and opinions.

Ed. correction: Dan Murphy’s sobriety date was March 24, 1986, not 1993 as first published. He said 1993 was the year he quit smoking. Correction made.

Resources

The radio show: Last Call on Fox News FM 93.1/AM 1450

Online: www.mylastcall.com

 

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