There are alternatives to opioids. That's the message the Louisiana Department of Health is trying to spread to the community.
35-year-old James Gotte said he's looking forward to celebrating one year of being sober this month.
Gotte said his drug addiction started at a young age, but now he wants a brighter future.
"I started using heroin and fentanyl probably for about six or seven years before this point," Gotte said.
Gotte said his addiction started with one drug and escalated.
"I was on pills real bad, and then they said, 'Hey, you can get more of a high for a cheaper cost with heroin, so I said I'm going to go for that, and then, after that, it was just a rabbit down a hole," Gotte said.
Gotte told me the drugs led him into a deep and dark depression, one that left him feeling misunderstood and even suicidal.
"I told myself I'm accountable for it because my friends may have put it [drugs] there, but I made the choice to go for it," Gotte said. "As soon as anyone with an addiction like myself can realize the self is the problem, then you can fix that going forward."
With the help of The Way Training Center's drug recovery program and his mentor, Gerard Morgan, Gotte said he's on a promising path to sobriety.
Morgan said he's proud to see Gotte come this far.
"When James came to us, he fell right in," Morgan said. "He wanted to change. Sometimes it takes time to get individuals to settle in...[Gotte] was compliant."
Anyone looking for help overcoming drug addiction is encouraged to visit
