INDEPENDENCE, Ky. — Fred Hall said he has always had a love for nature, from the time he was a child. 

"Just the peace and quiet, the tranquility of it; I mean, this is my happy place," he said as he prepared his fishing rod. 

After a 15-year battle with alcohol, Hall is 19 months sober. He said after his time in rehab and entering the real world again, he never felt like he had a place to truly be himself.

“I could not find anything personally, so that's when I started coming up with things that I like to do, my kids like to do, and that's where Recovery Range formed," he said. 

Using a nontraditional approach, Recovery Range helps people and families working to rebuild bonds during recovery. The organization does a range of activities such as hiking, bird-washing and fishing. This comes as communities nationwide are uniting to shed light on the impact of alcohol misuse and promoting education, prevention and support for Alcohol Awareness Month. 

One participant said this approach has been life-changing to his recovery.

"I don't typically like that traditional classroom setting, and (it) always made me feel uncomfortable because how young I was compared to everybody there," Thomas Justice said. "I think what Fred's doing is going to be appealing to anybody struggling with addiction, but I think it's going to be really appealing to a younger crowd. You can just get out and find better ways to cope."

Hall's wife, Jeramie, said these outings have served as a way for her family to rebuild.

“I think it's good for (families) because when somebody is out of or in recovery and especially fresh into recovery or going through (Alcoholics Anonymous) or something like that, building trust and getting families together is the most important thing," she said. 

Everyone is welcome to participate, Hall said. 

"You don't have to come alone," he said. "You can bring your kids, your wife; you can bring a buddy if they just want to support you because that's recovery is all about: support."