KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — At Metro Drug Coalition's new coffee shop, "soberistas" make coffee and connections.
Gateway Coffee is fully serviced by people who have recovered from addictions. The business is part of Metro Drug Coalition's recovery community center known as The Gateway.
One month after its opening, the coffee shop is beginning to change the lives of its employees as they recover from substance abuse and transition into the workforce.
"Folks need new beginnings to be able to have new behaviors," said Metro Drug Coalition's Director of Recovery Support Services Anne Burnett Young. "All we really need to do is give them the support they need to maintain the sobriety they've already gotten to be successful in life."
William Webb was addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol for two decades. He received help from Metro Drug Coalition over the years and began volunteering at the nonprofit before becoming an employee at Gateway Coffee.
"I enjoy just talking with people over a cup of coffee. They're able to talk about their lives, and if I've experienced anything, I share my stories with them as well," Webb said.
On and off for 20 years, Webb battled his addictions. "My life was unmanageable. I could never complete tasks, I would hurt loved ones, I would let my kids down," he explained. "Once I cleaned myself up, I began to look into my health issues, and that's how I found out about my cancer."
Webb was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer affecting his bone marrow.
He was given eight months to live. But 17 years later, he continues to fight. "I live today, one day at a time, with a cancer that has no cure."
Webb is one of Gateway Coffee's three "soberistas," all of whom are at least three months sober.
"When someone leaves treatment or leaves jail, they're faced with all those things that got them there in the first place—the same people, the same places, and it's easy to revert to old behavior. Folks need new beginnings to be able to have new behaviors," Young said.
Webb said he is grateful for the support and guidance he has received over the years.
"In a recovery journey, you want to give back because I have received so much help and love from not only Metro Drug Coalition, but others outside of here," Webb explained. "This is not a journey you take alone. You take it together."
Gateway Coffee's coffee beans are provided by the local nonprofit Raising A Voice, which works to fight human trafficking across East Tennessee.