Former drug dealer helps people in Salem battle addiction

Josh Lair, a former addict turned advocate, works at community outreach manager with Ideal Option, and is the chief operating officer at Be Bold Street Ministries in Salem.

Josh Lair, 44, bent down and rolled up his pant legs to reveal a tattoo spanning across the two shins that study “HOPE Supplier.”

“I utilised to be a dope supplier, and I brought loss of life and destruction into every little thing that I did,” explained Lair. Now he attempts to convey hope to all the things and anyone, fairly than destruction, he stated.

Lair, of Salem, has been dwelling a compound-totally free existence for 12 yrs.

He operates as the community and law enforcement outreach supervisor for Excellent Possibility, which has two outpatient clinics in Salem that enable guidance substance use disorder restoration via treatment-assisted cure. Best Option also connects patients with neighborhood providers this sort of as housing, therapy and transportation.