For Amber Richards, life after overdose starts with compassion
Kandra Miller has struggled with addiction to alcohol, heroin, and meth for seven years. In that time, she lost everything, rebuilt her life during two successful years of recovery, and lost it all again when she relapsed last year and became houseless, she says.
In June, Ms. Miller felt ready to reclaim her life again. But this time, she wasn’t alone. When she joined the line for a detoxification clinic just after sunrise one morning, standing with her was Amber Richards, a peer support specialist whose job it is to transition people using drugs to treatment, housing, jobs, and – hopefully – sobriety.
By early September, Ms. Miller was housed in a sober living facility, attending 12-step meetings and, after some slip-ups, approaching 30 days without using drugs.
Her goal: “Stay sober
