Upcoming recovery walk in Ripley aims to help with substance use disorder

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — A recovery walk is happening in Ripley later this month.

The Breath of Life Walk and recovery rally will be held on Aug. 24 from noon until 3 p.m. outside the Jackson County Courthouse.

One year ago, the first “Breath of Life” walk and rally was held outside the Jackson County Courthouse in Ripley. While many big cities such as Charleston and Huntington have resources to help with drug treatment and recovery, small, rural communities usually have few if any, resources.

Josh and Melissa George are planning for this year’s rally on Aug. 24. They are also sharing very stark pictures of their journey, from deep in addiction, to the triumph of getting clean.
In doing so, they hope to inspire and help others.

“It makes me want to cry because I was suffering. I was just suffering in silence. I was alone. I didn’t reach out to anyone. And then Josh’s mother, which is my spiritual mother, she reached out to me and she loved me and believed in me,” said Melissa George, from Breath of Life Recovery.

“I was in a very dark, broken place. I didn’t think there was enough help for me, that I’d have been too far gone. But that’s not the case anymore,” said Josh George, from Breath of Life Recovery.

Right now, “Breath of Life” is operating in Ripley, but it plans to expand to another rural community. On Sept. 17, it will launch another “Breath of Life” chapter in Sissonville.

For more information go to the Breath of Life Recovery WV page on Facebook by clicking here .

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