An organization dedicated to eliminating barriers to recovering from addiction came to Crenshaw County on June 18.

Friends of Recovery Morgan, Madison, Limestone and Lawrence traveled to Crenshaw County to certify more than a dozen people in peer support training.

Known as FORMLL, the organization trains people who have survived substance abuse to help those who are still struggling. The organization goes around the State of Alabama to certify and train those who want to help.

During training, attendees also recognize those who have died from substance abuse.

“There is an epidemic of drug and alcohol use in our state and there is very little help with that,” said executive director and founder of FORMLL Mike McLemore. “Communities are now rising up with people among them that want to help.”

During the two-day training course, participants learned the appropriate way to deal with and understand people who struggle with recovery. They also learned what they can do in their community to help bridge the gap between pre-treatment and post-treatment.

“People need support, addiction is very dangerous,” said peer support trainee Mookie Sadler. “I really want to help somebody not make the same mistakes I made.”

Participants learn about the disease and how to advocate for those who suffer.

Those who make it through the training are certified for free as a peer support contact and are encouraged to contact the peer support office to advise or to help someone navigate the system within their community.

“I hope people are capable of doing these things through their church, parish, synagogue or whatever to inform their community and to have a large network to help them assist with that,” said McLemore.

In Crenshaw County, the hope is that this organization will help give resources to those in need and educate those who need and want to be educated in alcohol and substance abuse.

“People need to find resources and if we can find people to educate them we can reduce recidivism in the second judicial court,” said Timothy Kemp, a court referral officer and organizer of the event.

Follow FORMLL on social media or visit their website, formll.org, for more information.