Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anthony Banuelos. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Anthony, thanks for joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I struggled with addiction for over 15 years of my life. There was a lot of pain and misery that was associated in my life during these times. I lost my will to live, and life seemed hopeless. I lived this revolving door of breaking empty promises to change and going in and out of prison. Prison was an escape from reality, to escape the responsibilities of life. Regardless of what came along with my using, I was caught in its jaws, bound by the constant need to get and have more. I was powerless. I finally hit my bottom in life and decided to seek help after all those years. I was court ordered to treatment as part of my conditions and on 4/20/2021 I entered a facility, and my life was changed. Been clean and sober since and I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. I learned to get out of self and help others. I was working at a restaurant at the time, and helped someone get a job there. One day he approaches me and he asks me, “Hey I know someone that has this company and they pack Narcan (naloxone) kits, do you want to come help out?” I said yes, and my life changed from that moment on. It was my introduction to End Overdose. A 501c3 non profit that is working to fight against drug related overdose deaths through education, medical intervention, and public awareness. I’ve lost a lot of friends along the way from drug overdoses and have overdosed myself in the past. I remember how excited we were packing overdose response kits and saying, “Man, each one of these is meant to save a life!” There was a passion to save others from day one, and that is what drives End Overdose. My goal was to pack and get those kits out as fast as I could, ‘cause each one is meant to save a life! End Overdose CEO Theo Krzywicki gave me a chance in life, believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and has a passion and drive to save others. It all started with packing kits, to printing orders, to conducting trainings. It was one door opening after another and the process just seems so unreal looking back, like it was meant to be, to me, God was present the whole time. I am truly happy and blessed to be a part of End Overdose!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Anthony Banuelos and I am Director of Operations for End Overdose. A 501c3 non profit organization working to fight against drug related overdose deaths through education, medical intervention, and public awareness. I’ve struggled with addiction for over 15 years and currently have 2 years clean and sober. I have lost a lot of friends due to drug overdoses and have overdosed myself. There is a passion to save lives and that is what we do here at End Overdose. We offer preventive measures with fentanyl test strips. One thing we encourage is, if it didn’t come prescribed from a doctor, test it! We also offer responsive measures with our overdose response training. We cover signs & symptoms of an opioid overdose, steps to take, how to administer intranasal naloxone, and continued care. Our training and naloxone (medication that reverses an opioid overdose aka Narcan) are free. We want you to be comfortable and confident with doing your part to save someone’s life, and also give you the resources needed to save a life. Right now we are certifying individuals all across the United States. Anywhere in LA County or surrounding areas, we will come to you and conduct an in person training! Since the beginning of this year, End Overdose has distributed over 93k doses of naloxone and trained over 76k individuals on how to identify and respond to an opioid overdose. Get your free life saving resources and training at https://endoverdose.net/ No One Else Has To Die.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

For me, there is a lot of passion for what we do here at End Overdose. That is what drives our team. A passion to help save lives and get this knowledge and resources out to our communities. Any time we have an opportunity to train and pass out resources, we will do our best! We have an amazing team that is passionate for the work that we do.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Coming from my background, I am not used to being in the position that I am in now. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, and see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and to grow. There is always a lesson behind each mistake, and try not to let it consume you. This is where true growth is measured. My story is one of resilience. I came from a dysfunctional family, my standards of normal were not ones of society. I had different values and principles growing up and prison was a normal thing, 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://endoverdose.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/end.overdose/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@endoverdose