It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Raúl Alfaro, who struggled with substance addiction for thirty years.
“I learned a lot about myself, the feelings I have and what I want to do with my life; now I have a reason to live,” he says.
The Los Angeles resident is one of 19 students who graduated from the County Health Department’s 8-week Harm Reduction Professional Development Program, which trains people to interact with, and assist with services to, those struggling with drugs and substances.
“I want to help those who are still suffering; it’s very difficult. Because I know how it feels,” Raúl argues.
For Alfaro, the experience allows him to remember the difficulties he faced while on the streets, including the feelings of being alone.
“The feelings you have when you’re on drugs are…it’s not nice, like you don’t have a family. We do have family, but when you’re on drugs you can’t talk to them because you think they’ll find out,” Raúl adds.
County Health Department leaders say that the lifesaving services, which harm reduction professionals learn, help those struggling with substance use with vital resources on the streets, in hospitals, and in jails.
“In our helping community, we really need people with lived experience because they understand where the people who use our services are and, because of that, they can communicate more effectively and can identify some risks or maybe other opportunities for help that other people may not see,” says Shoshana Scholar, director of the Division of Harm Reduction at the Los Angeles Department of Health.
She’s Raúl’s sister… and she says watching him struggle with addiction wasn’t easy. She hopes that helping in those environments won’t cause him to relapse, since he’s been drug and alcohol-free for five years.
“I told him God has a plan for you, that’s why you’re still alive. It’s been 30 years, but I think he already saw how you can live another life, not in the dark, but with the light,” says Ivon Alfaro Herman.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Health, there was a 22 percent decrease in drug-related overdose deaths in 2024, which they report as the most significant drop.
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Annie Mapp – Spectrum Noticias