Arlene Bonilla spent nine years wrestling with her addiction to ecstasy pills and meth.
“I went to jail and I lost my kids,” said Bonilla, who attended an event Thursday where others, like her, shared their personal stories. “I saw that this wasn’t the life for me.”
Her testimony was part of a celebration hosted by the coalition By LA for LA, which is focused on decreasing drug overdoses in LA County, at the Life Development University building on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Locals gathered to mark a major milestone: A total of 50,000 overdoses had been reversed in Los Angeles County in the last three years.
The celebration offered not only personal testimonies of overcoming addiction, but also free naloxone kits, fentanyl testing strips and a brief demonstration of how to use naloxone — the medication credited with preventing overdose deaths.
The public health milestone highlights the growing impact of harm reduction strategies in LA County. Both grassroots organizations and public health agencies are working together to expand strategies like providing access to naloxone, fentanyl test strips and overdose prevention education.
While the reversal in overdoses signifies progress, “we’re still at higher overdose rates than we were pre-pandemic,” said Jose Gonzalez, guest speaker and associate medical director for LA County’s street addiction consultation team.
Organizers emphasized that the crisis is far from over, especially as fentanyl continues to drive overdose rates and disproportionately affect Black and brown communities.
“Only one out of 20 people actually get help,” Gonzalez said.
He added that helping people stay healthy and avoid overdosing builds trust, making it easier to invite them into a treatment program and eventually get them off the streets.
Reducing the stigma associated with drug addiction is key and can be accomplished by meeting people where they are and offering support, Gonzalez said.
Raven Diggs said surrounding herself with people who “were in search of the same thing” really helped her. She said she was once addicted to heroin and overdosed multiple times.
“I haven’t found it necessary to put anything in my system since my sobriety date of September 15, 2015,” Diggs said.
Outreach workers also shared their experiences during the event, explaining what it’s like to administer naloxone, often in high-pressure situations where seconds can determine whether someone lives or dies.
“I went out to my first overdose in 2003 and I was scared,” said Cecilia Falcon, who’s been sober nine years after an addiction to crack cocaine and now works in harm reduction for the multi-service agency HOPICS.
“This was someone’s son, someone’s friend,” Falcon said.“But I went into action mode because his life mattered.”
