The Cuban broadcaster Rolando Zaldívar has entered a rehabilitation center located outside of Miami, as announced this week by the community project Conducta Dade in a video shared on Facebook.
The project waited 48 hours before making the news public, to confirm that Zaldívar remained in the program and was complying with the activities and rules of the center.
"Finally, after much effort, we managed to take Rolando to a rehabilitation center located outside the city of Miami, away from the environment he has lived in for such a long time," stated Dade Behavior in the announcement.
In the video, a member of the project warns that the first few days are the hardest due to anxiety and withdrawal symptoms, and describes cocaine addiction in straightforward terms: "Cocaine is mental. Remember that. It's not a vice; it's mental, it's a mental illness."
This is Zaldívar's second attempt in a program of this kind. After publicly acknowledging his addiction last February, when he admitted to consuming substances for "approximately a year and a little bit," he entered a first center from which he left in April.
Conducta Dade then explained that recovery processes are not linear and that the first attempt is not always sufficient, and reiterated that they would continue to support him without judgment.
On this occasion, the author of the video asked the community not to jump to conclusions: “We are not celebrating a recovery that has not yet happened. We are celebrating that Rolando has taken an important step. Now it is up to him to seize this opportunity.”
In August of last year, the broadcaster was found again on the streets of Miami in a state of extreme physical exhaustion. At that time, he reflected on his situation with a phrase that encapsulated his pain: “For all people, including myself, dreams have been shattered”.
Conducta Dade expressed hope that Zaldívar was "beginning to hit rock bottom" and that he would soon seek help of his own accord. The recent admission confirms that this decision has finally come.
Zaldívar was one of the most recognized voices in Cuban radio in the 90s, especially for his work on the show "Disco Fiesta 98" from Radio Ciudad de La Habana. After emigrating from Cuba, he lived in Mexico and Houston before settling in Miami in 2014, where over the years, addiction distanced him from the media and led him to a situation of increasing vulnerability.
His story became public in November 2025, when he was arrested in Miami for petty theft and possession of cocaine, and a bond of $150 was set. The release of his mug shot, in which he appeared visibly deteriorated, sparked a wave of reactions within the Cuban community.
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