from dark clouds to rays of glory: surviving alcoholism & homelessness

submitted by joseph adrian salazar
edited by sarina e. guerra

Many of you readers may have heard my name or seen my face somewhere in the press over the course of this last year, mainly because I have enjoyed a lot of positive attention for various projects I have been working on within Imperial County. My most prominent roles so far have been my involvement with community outreach for the anticipated boom of Lithium Valley, as well as the time I spent representing the face of local business by partnering with the Chamber of Commerce. But in all honesty, this story would not be complete without me telling you a little about the dark times in my life that led me to this point of genuine pride and accomplishment.

Joseph Salazar, 2005-2006 BUHS JV Football

My name is Joseph Adrian Salazar, and having grown up here my whole life I consider myself a Brawley boy to the bone. I come from a good family and have surrounded myself with loving friends I’ve known my whole life. I’ve played football since the young age of six and was given the nickname “Grasshopper” right around that time. Most people actually still know me by that name, and I really like that it stuck. It doesn’t matter who you ask—ask former Brawley Mayor Sam Couchman and even he’ll tell you the truth. I’m Grasshopper. Always have been, and always will be. But there was a time in my life where I guess you could say I forgot who I was. Towards the end of my senior year of high school, I started hanging out with a different crowd. A questionable group that led me to get involved with gang life and make decisions that ultimately caused me to pay for my transgressions later on down the road.

What started as drinking with friends just for fun, as many young men do, eventually resulted in an alcohol addiction that caused me to destroy everything good in my life. During this time, I would get good jobs and completely blow them because I didn’t know how to stop drinking. I repeated this cycle of alcoholism and reckless living for over a decade and admittedly caused a lot of pain in the lives of those around me. My decisions probably most affected my mom and she was forced to turn her back on me while I was homeless simply because I didn’t want to change. At some point, I realized that anyone and everyone I ever loved had turned their back on me because of my serious substance abuse.

There was a time I found myself living behind the old veterinarian’s office near where the Brawley Grocery Outlet is now. There was a slab of concrete in the back that I used to drink, cry, and sleep on for a while, and every day I woke up there I hated my life. I wanted to change so badly and yet I couldn’t stop drinking. Like clockwork, I would walk to Cattle Call, sit on the bench overlooking the park, and beg God to let someone put a bullet in my head because I didn’t want to live anymore. I just didn’t have the heart to take my own life.

I used to watch my mom drive by on her way to work and pass me up like she didn’t know who I was. It hit me hard at that point that she no longer considered me her son and I was truly alone in this world. Once, my family told me to “pick a park and die already” because my alcohol addiction had gotten so out of control.

[Photo by Sarina E. Guerra; Cattle Call on January 27, 2025]

To make matters worse, I was involved in a car accident and was rushed to El Centro Regional Medical center where they told me I now had two broken ankles to deal with. They wrapped me up, gave me crutches, and released me. Just like that. I remember struggling to walk to the bus stop there in front, and with every step I took I cried out wondering why my life had to be so tough. It literally took me three hours to get to the bus stop where I stayed for three full days without moving. No water, no nothing. I was so, so thirsty and I just wanted to go home to my mom. I mustered up the strength to walk to the nearest business which happened to be a church in order to charge my cell phone which was dead. Despite two broken ankles and after what felt like an eternity, I had managed to make it there, charge my phone, and finally call my mom. She picked me up and I remember begging her to let me go home, but instead she replied, “You need help, son…” and dropped me off at Victory Outreach. I was crippled, heartbroken, and depressed. I really thought I would be better off dead.

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After almost a month at Victory Outreach, I finally got set up with a surgeon in San Diego that would help me fix my ankles. When I got there, I was told my left foot might have to be amputated because it was severely shattered and it had gone untreated for too long. They told me I would most likely be a cripple for the rest of my life. I remember thinking over and over that somehow, things always got worse for me. Not only was I withdrawing from alcohol and dealing with the pain of two broken ankles without medication, but now I faced the possibility of losing my left foot entirely. Then one day, I found myself lying outside of Victory Outreach trying to get some air when I came across a passage in the Bible about how Jesus revealed his own human nature and broke down in tears (John 11:35).

It was at that moment that life stopped and a powerful presence surrounded me. The power I felt was so strong that I knew without a doubt that I was in the presence of God. I opened up and told Him all the times I had been hurt in life and how I so desperately wanted to change. I told Him that if He just gave me one more chance at a normal life that I would make it my mission to not be a loser anymore. While in rehab a couple days later, I remember crying uncontrollably because I could feel that I was comforted by His presence when suddenly the phone rang.

After my surgery, I had to be admitted to the ICU because my sodium levels had dropped so low that I was at risk of slipping into a coma or dying at any minute. The nurse kept telling me, “Joseph, you have to take your pain meds. Your body just went through two major surgeries back-to-back and your heart can’t handle the pain.” I refused and told the doctors they could not put any of that crap in my body because I had already promised God I was going to change, and I meant it. Even if the result was death, I said so be it. I wouldn’t take the narcotics. After this incident, I remember feeling so happy because I knew God had answered my prayers for a second chance. I have been sober now for four years and my life has improved more than I could ever imagine.

Joseph taking care of business while at the Brawley
Chamber of Commerce (2023)

Joseph standing with District Supervisor Area 2 Martha Singh
and El Centro Mayor Pro-Tem Sonia Carter at the
Vision Traffic Control ribbon cutting event (November 2024)

I have so many accomplishments now, sometimes I lose track. I am now an Ambassador for UC Berkeley and UC San Diego where I help students in underprivileged demographics get into four-year universities. I am the proud founder of the UnderGround Scholars Initiative Imperial Valley Chapter, as well as founder of the Succeeding Over Adversity club at Imperial Valley College (IVC). I can say I am a Stockman’s Club member, and in 2023 I won the Economic and Workforce Development Award at IVC for my cooperative work with the Brawley Chamber of Commerce. I have been a part of the biggest projects with the County of Imperial under the guidance of local government official, Ryan Kelley, while working with the Lithium Valley Outreach and Education group regarding economic development. Currently, I work in Sales and Marketing for the best company out there, Arctic Air Conditioning. I love what I do, but most importantly I love that God has led me down a path of self-love and healing that has allowed me to live happily and show love to myself and others every day. Today, I live the life I always wanted to.