When Flindt Andersen founded his nonprofit, Parents & Addicts In Need (PAIN), in the early 2000s, his goal was clear: Spread awareness about the growing opioid epidemic. Decades later, the mission remains urgent as addiction continues to affect countless families in Fresno and beyond.

Andersen, who is in recovery himself after a 20-year addiction to prescription opioids, understands the struggle on a personal level.

“Our goal was to tell the truth about addiction, tell the truth about what that all entails, because most people really don’t understand the addict,” he said.

The nonprofit provides resources to addicts and their families, including Narcan, an opioid-reversal drug offered free to the public. Fundraising is critical to keeping these services accessible, Andersen said, with fundraisers like Granville Home of Hope making a significant impact.

“We still have an enormous problem here in Fresno, Clovis and the San Joaquin Valley,” Andersen said. “We want you to know that there’s hope and that you don’t have to live in this. And we will do everything we can as an organization to help that person and to help those families get through this in the shortest amount of time possible.”

Related Story: You Can Win a Lexus in This Fresno Telethon Drawing. Get Tickets Now.

Julian Carvajal’s Story: Addict to Sobriety

Three years into sobriety, 21-year-old Julian Carvajal tells how he began drinking at age 9 or 10. He suffered fentanyl addiction through his teenage years and describes a past fueled by the pursuit of acceptance, “toughness,” and numbing personal loss.

“I just started drinking with friends at school,” he said. “I think I always kind of looked up to substances because neither of my parents ever drank… but I remember seeing my uncles or going to parties with my family and seeing all the men drink beer. And I thought that was the macho thing to do.”

By high school, he was regularly using substances to cope, especially after the death of his grandfather, whom he viewed as a parental figure. That experience, he recalled, “was a significant moment for me.”

While his early attempts at sobriety were short-lived, he experienced a turning point at age 17 after a near brush with legal trouble that brought his vulnerability into stark relief.

“That was the first time I ever, like wholeheartedly took my sobriety seriously,” he recalled. “I got a sponsor when I met Flint, and then I really wanted to try.”

A Final Commitment to Sobriety

It was in 2021, after a long battle with relapse and self-doubt, that he made his final commitment to recovery. Despite not feeling ready, he remembered reaching out to a mentor: “I mean, that alone was really impactful for me because I thought at the time, why does this guy care? Why does anyone give a (expletive) about me?”

His journey involved intensive inpatient and outpatient treatment over 12 months, including seven months in sober living. Reflecting on the difficulty of early recovery, and wanting to help others, he said, “Don’t expect to be OK for at least a year because I felt mentally (expletive) up for a year.”

Today, he celebrates three years of sobriety and newfound peace.

“Around 10 months that I was sober I stopped thinking about getting high every day… The obsession was lifted from me. God really lifted that obsession for me,” he said.

Click here to donate to PAIN through Granville Home of Hope.

(Disclaimer: President and CEO of Granville Homes, Darius Assemi, is the publisher of GV Wire).