ATLANTIC BEACH, N.C. — If you see people wearing teal T-shirts around Atlantic Beach this summer, it’s actually a sign of hope.
They’re with the Hope Mission of Coastal Carolina, an organization with a goal of helping people overcome substance abuse and break the stigma surrounding it.
The nonprofit’s “Peers on the Beach” program is there to help provide resources to those who may be struggling with addiction and need support.
Peers on the Beach is just that: peers on the beach. It’s people like Amanda Williams, who was just 12 when she started experimenting with drugs.
“I started getting in trouble with the law. I dropped out of high school,” Williams said. “Which is one of my biggest regrets.”
It became an addiction, one that quickly took over her life.
“My friends that I was doing all these things with, I found that they could do these things, and you know they could go on about their lives,” Williams said. “They were going to college, they were starting families, and I am going to the Department of Corrections for my first prison stint when I was 20 years old, I turned 21 in there.”
Williams went to prison two more times after that first sentence, and her substance use only increased.
“That was my downfall, majorly … I started shooting heroin,” Williams said. “And that was one of the things I always told myself, I justified what I was doing because I wasn’t shooting up, but then that day came.”
Williams said it was the lowest point her life — that’s when she found Hope Mission.
“It’s the best, best thing that ever happened to me, because from that place I ended up with a purpose,” Williams said. “I went back to school, a college graduate now, my family is proud of me.”
She says it took 20 years before she finally saw the light. Now, she’s been sober for two years, she’s married, has a house and she’s working with Hope Mission to help others conquer their own addictions.
Williams is even planning on pursuing her master's degree in 2025 to become a social worker. Until then, she’s hoping to make a difference on the beach.
“We will be here every Friday to provide peer support to those that may want it, or if they just need resources for themselves or a family member,” Williams said. “Whatever we can do to help show that there is a better way of life.”
Another former Hope Mission client, Johnny Bronco, says the beach is a great place to try to offer support.
“When I first came down here, that’s where I’d go to hang out cause all we’d do is drink and drug, and it’s a great place to start,” Bronco said.
He said he wishes the Peers on the Beach program was available when he needed it 10 years ago.
“I wound up being homeless on the beach, living out of my truck and not having any resources or nowhere to go to get help,” he said, “It’s a great place to start to help people.”
Bronco said Hope Mission helped him see that it does get better, and now he’s hoping to share that message to people at Atlantic Beach this summer.
“It’s amazing how much my life has changed since I walked into jail and since I walked into the program and got out,” Bronco said. “It’s amazing how much easier it is fighting addiction when you have a good support program and a good support network.
Peer support specialists from Hope Mission of Coastal Carolina will be at Atlantic Beach every Friday and Saturday through Labor Day. If you see the crew in their teal T-shirts, feel free to say hello — or even ask for help.