I used to work security in portland, oregon, and i have alot of stories, most of which are bad, from my time there. Fentanyl is a major problem there, thanks to measure 110 being passed back in 2020. this measure was essentially the legalization of hard substances being used in public, so fentanyl was being used openly. I've encountered many homeless people, who were active users, who had talked about wanting to get sober but never could for one reason or another. there was one guy in particular who ill never forget, a early 20 something who went by Mario.
Mario is/was a talented guy, who had an eye for art. he would always be drawing something in his sketchbook whenever i saw him on one of our client's properties. i got to knowing him abit more, and later learned that he made it there from new york. he never really gave any reason for being out there. when i asked him one day, how he copes with it all, he pointed to his art book. he never really talked to anyone, but if you got him talking, he wouldn't stop.
a few months before i stopped working in portland, i saw him again, but with who appeared to be a caseworker. i asked him how he was doing, and he told me he had gone 30 days sober, and still going. he looked arguably a lot better, and i was really proud of him. to my knowledge he was still homeless, but atleast he was doing alot better. don't know how true it was that he had gone sober, but ignorance can be bliss. some days i still think about him and how hes doing.
