A Former Drug Addict Opens A Gym To Prevent Others From Relapsing On The Drug

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The path to sobriety is more bearable if accompanied.

That's why Krissy Mae Cagney, 29, a recovering addict is helping others keep their minds and bodies healthy by providing free memberships to the gym she founded in Reno, Nevada three years ago, Black Iron Gym.

The gym has been a unique support for the girl whose life has been disrupted by drug use since her teens.

After going through various rehabilitation programs during his youth, Cagney finally found his escape to the vicious circle.

"I have had behavioral problems since I was a little girl, like diagnosed anxiety and personality disorder," Cagney told PEOPLE magazine. “I started using [drugs] at a very young age because of those behavior problems, so I used it for about 10 years, throughout high school and college. My addiction got so bad that it left me homeless several times.”

Not only physical strength, but the strength to stay away from narcotics and alcohol are among the benefits she has received from her focus on her physical training.

Cagney has achieved five years of sobriety and, through Black Iron, wants to give other recovering addicts a place that encourages them to stay sober through exercise and counseling programs. Through his GoFundMe initiative, called “Reps 4 Recovery,” Cagney offered his gym nearly 100 recovering addicts, who have been sober for one day to five years. Together, these members motivate each other to stay clean and strong in the face of a relapse. Many members, she says, had had no experience with exercise before signing up.

"Every time one of my gym members looks at me and says they wouldn't be sober without my gym, the show, or me, there's no other feeling in the world like that," says Cagney. “All I really wanted was to be sober all the time for someone like that to help me and I never had that. Being able to be that for all these people is so gratifying.”