By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
On April 21, the Kickin’ Addiction Recovery Walk will be held at Mort Glosser Amphitheater located at 90 Walnut Street in Gadsden.
The walk will celebrate sobriety and offer resources for those seeking treatment for addiction and their families. The event is free to all to attend.
Walk registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk will “kick-off” at 9 a.m. A “Sober Party” will be held from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The party will feature live music, food, door prizes and a resource fair.
According to Joshua Hanson, one of the coordinators, The Kickin’ Addiction Recovery Walk was planned as a result of a Gadsden City meeting about the local opoid abuse problem. Local prevention and rehab services came together to plan the event as well as a website directory.
Hanson described the website as “kind of a Priceline for rehab.” The website www.sobrietynetwork.org will provide a list of resources for help, as well as describe the service’s approach (secular or faith-based), program length and price. This way anyone seeking help can find what will work best for him or her. The website development is still underway.
Hanson praised the many programs and sevices that came together to make the event a reality including CED Mental Health, Riverview Regional Medical Center, The Foundry, Love Ladies, Center of Hope and many more. These orginizations and others will be providing information about addiction recovery and family support programs. Narcon training will be available as well.
Hanson said that the response has been huge, and he expects a large turnout. The event is family-friendly and will include children’s activities. Hanson encourages families to attend.
Ministries will perform live music. Recovering addicts will also give testomonies. Hanson warned that some testimonial topics may be sensitive for young children.
For more information, visit www.sobrietynetwork.org.