Sam Pollien has lived through some of the darkest strata of life.
From a Cambodian family who were victims of the genocide in that country, he grew up in Stockton where he was exposed to two things that marked his early years: drugs and gangs.
Pollien a full time Substance Use Disorder Counselor at Clinica Romero has found in this work a way to help others avoid what he went through and overcome the crises affecting society in this country.
In the county alone the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health estimates that about 16.6 percent of county residents had a Substance Use Disorder during 2021 to 2023. If that prevalence rate were applied to the Latino population it would suggest approximately 789,000 Latinos. And many of them do not find the help they need.
“I had a tough childhood. We were refugees we did not speak English. Gang life was part of our community with that comes drugs that escape route that is not a positive one,” the counselor says.
He experienced a lot of racism people who did not know where he came from who did not understand his culture or history. He went through many of the traumas that many young people in California also face.
Another barrier he encountered was the lack of resources to help him there was no clear way out no helping hand offering another path. That is why he enjoys his work so much because both in group classes and one on one sessions he has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those who seek his help.
“Growing up in Stockton in my community that was the world we knew we saw it as normal,” he adds.
It was not until a friend while going through a very difficult time gave him the book The Power of Awareness that things began to change. It changed his life and led him to seek not just a solution but a new path which marked his move to Los Angeles.
The Power of Awareness is a spiritual self help book that teaches that consciousness creates reality.
“I realized that we create our thoughts and that we can change them. So I decided to transform myself start visualizing a new life and a new reality. I knew I could not do it in Stockton so I decided to move to Los Angeles,” he adds.
Upon arriving he enrolled at ELAC began educating himself on different relevant topics and learned a new language.
“Being at ELAC made a difference it allowed me to reach Clinica Romero it changed my life. I completed a 500 hour volunteer program and then was given the opportunity to join full time. At this clinic I felt welcomed immediately. With all those elements I naturally became a teacher a healer a philosopher,” he adds.
Pollien knew he still had much to learn the staff at Clinica Romero supported him from the beginning. “It was what I needed. It helps me transform the lives of others and I have transformed my own life.”
Clinica Romero has an outpatient Substance Use Disorder SUD treatment program focused on community based and low cost care for both adults and adolescents.
What he enjoys most are one on one sessions where he can deepen communication with people and together gradually find solutions.
“You have no idea how satisfying it is when at the end of a session people say to me thank you so much.”
Pollien wants to continue on this path keep learning and helping others. He is certain that this is the future that awaits him and something more. “God sent me here to help me.”
