HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Not One More Alabama hosted their 5th annual "End Addiction" Huntsville walk. This walk acts as a memorial for those lost due to overdose and a way to find recovery and support resources.
Richard Crawford is in recovery and as he stood with his friends he said, "we're all in recovery…we support each other."
Crawford was hesitant to be on camera but wanted to share his message, "I just want to reach somebody that's still struggling out there and let you know that there's programs available. You know, that first day, the first year, when you make that choice, that's the first choice for the rest of your life, to be sober, to stop living the way you used to. The stigma that they put on people that have had drug and alcohol problems, you know, we can change that the recovery is just as possible as the addiction itself."
The walk was held at Big Spring Park and had over 40 treatment, recovery and support services gathered on the lawn.
Their hope is to provide resources to those struggling with addiction as well as raising awareness of the deadly overdose epidemic.
There were also booths providing fentanyl testing strips and gave training on Narcan, a potentially life-saving drug meant to reverse effects of an opioid overdose.
Patty Sykstus is the President of Not One More Alabama and said this event is all about human connection.
"We have just an opportunity for people to connect, come together, meet other people that are in recovery, other people who might have loved ones that are struggling, and then people that have lost loved ones can come together. It's a place to honor those lives. Remember those lives. Celebrate those lives. So we're just here to bring awareness, reduce stigma, and just have a conversation about addiction," Sykstus said.
She shared this subject is close to her heart as her son is now 10 years sober.
"He asked for help in 2012, and we've been fortunate that he's been able to find a life in recovery and build a life. But through watching his journey, it just opened up so many opportunities for me to meet other people and learn their stories and realize that there's just a story to be told here and we need to be talking about it," Sykstus said.
This was Frank Kirby's first time attending anything like this.
"I'm just taking it all I can, you know? And meeting new people that's going through the same struggles, the same problems I am. And it's just been a nice day all together," Kirby said.
NOMA works to connect individuals with treatment and support. You can find some of the resources on their website here.