The Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission knows the challenges people with addictions face.

To honor those who made the choice to find the help they need, the commission held a Recovery Month Walk on Monday morning."Recovery month is a time where we celebrate the work that we do and the clients we work with," said Jamie Drake, treatment program manager for the commission, noting that the company held a number of events throughout September, including a parent education night and a ribbon campaign where anyone affected by drugs or alcohol could tie a purple ribbon on the railing in front of the commission.CMP Drug and Alcohol serves residents of Carbon, Monroe and Pike counties who have addiction problems and need help. Services they provide include assessments, referrals to inpatient treatments and outpatient treatment services.Drake said they are also starting an intervention program to help families who have a loved one who needs treatment but isn't read to seek it out themselves yet.Before the walk, state Rep. Doyle Heffley, who was present for the event, commended Drake and all the commission employees for their dedication to their work."I commend you for everything you do here in the community," Heffley said. "You fulfill a huge need."He spoke about the growing epidemic of opiate addictions plaguing not only Carbon County, but the state."Since the advent of OxyContin and opiate drugs, we have seen an 89 percent increase in overdose deaths," he said, adding that the state has been also trying to combat the problem by passing legislation on prescribing guidelines in medical facilities, as well as the Good Samaritan Act, which helps families by providing a drug that can help reverse the effects of an overdose."At the end of the day, the biggest part is recovery and letting people know there is an option," Heffley said.Following the brief introduction, the nearly two dozen people in attendance walked through the borough of Lehighton in the hopes of raising awareness and giving hope to those who are lost in the world of drugs and alcohol.