Petersburg recovery event offers hope to 'walk that path one day at a time'

PETERSBURG, Va. — A Petersburg group is gearing up for its third annual recovery event, bringing together about 40 vendors and agencies to offer support, services, and a glimpse of what life in recovery can look like.

Gateway Justice Services will host the event Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Petersburg Public Library.

Nicole Loving, director of Gateway Justice Services, said the event is about more than addiction recovery.

"It is about recovery, in addition to saving lives and preventing overdoses in this community," Loving said.

Loving said attendees will have access to a wide range of resources.

"For education, for support services, for housing, for financial assistance, exposure to a wide variety of connective services that anyone can benefit from, but particularly this event is directly towards the recovery community," Loving said.

Organizers are also preparing 300 resource baskets for attendees, each including Narcan — the overdose-reversing medication.

For Keia Briscoe, 48, events like this one can make all the difference. She has been in long-term recovery for nearly three decades.

"I'm a person in long-term recovery. I have 27 years abstinent," Briscoe said.

Briscoe said seeing someone who has walked the same path is powerful for those still struggling.

"It's a lot easier to seek recovery when you see someone that has walked that life, to be able to give you a shot of hope, and say, wow she did it, I can do it," Briscoe said.

She said the coping skills she has built over the years are what keep her moving forward.

"The difference between the thought and the action are all of the coping skills that I have built up over the course of time and that's what keeps me from going backwards is the coping skills," Briscoe said.

Jim Gibbs, also in long-term recovery, said he considers himself fortunate to still be alive.

"I'm a miracle to be here," Gibbs said. "God has put mercy on my soul to be able to be here to talk to you."

His message to anyone considering recovery is simple.

"Walk that path one day at a time and soon you will arrive," Gibbs said.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.