When you meet Recovery = Freedom founder, Jason, you’d never guess that this just-turned-40-year-old husband, father, veteran and mentor, with the big smile and thoughtful demeanor, once thought daily about suicide. “I counted the minutes until the day would be over so I could go to sleep and know I was one day closer to the end” he explained. “I was in a horrible, dark place that I could not get out of. When I was young, I made a lot of stupid decisions. I had brushes with the law and spent most of my teenage years worrying my parents and living close to the edge.” In 1999 Jason enlisted in the Army which, he explained, “was the start of a more structured, disciplined approach to life, I worked out and trained my body physically, I became a goal setter and usually a high-achiever.”

After the Army, in 2007, Jason entered and completed his first Ironman triathlon, 140.6 miles of, swimming, biking and running. He finished under his goal time of 13 hours. As soon as that race was complete, he immediately entered another one.

But life took a much different turn before that second Ironman. In 2008, while training with a bike ride, Jason had an accident, suffering serious road rash, which resulted in a blood infection. Jason was prescribed Percocet and Oxy Cotton for pain management. That pain management regimen soon became a 7-year, $900-a-day addiction, and a dizzying, downward spiral into depression, hopelessness, and frequent thoughts of suicide. For the next 6 years, he fought the daily battle with the demons of addiction and made numerous attempts to get clean and sober. “I’d pick and choose my recovery route, sometimes with mild success but eventually relapsing over 40 times” remarked Jason.

“At one point, and I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment, I hit my spiritual rock bottom.” In 2014 Jason entered a residential detox center and rehabilitation retreat. Here he began to figure it out. “Through all my attempts and subsequent failures, I realized I was doing it all wrong because I wasn’t doing it ALL. I needed to be ALL IN. Who was I to decide which part of these programs would and would not work? My attempts at piecemealing together my own personal recovery plan were not healing me as a whole. “When I made the commitment to do all the steps, to embrace the entire process, to put in all the work, I began to truly recover.” He explained. It was during this time that Jason developed and began to practice the Morning Routine, a combination of reading, meditation and guided spiritual exercises that ends with a physical workout.

“I’ve been a recovered addict for 8 years and the Morning Routine remains the most critical part of my mental and physical health.” said Jason. It’s so important, that Jason made his Morning Routine the cornerstone for success and sobriety for the residents at Recovery=Freedom. “The foundation of my day is the foundation of this organization. It’s one of the most crucial parts of the prescription our residents need to stay sober and heal their whole self. Body, Mind and Spirit.”

Jason went on to explain “You don’t need to be in top physical shape or be a deeply religious person to get the full benefits of the Morning Routine. Maybe you haven’t read a book since childhood or been in a gym since 5th grade PE. Maybe meditation seems silly to you. Wherever you are at physically, mentally and spiritually, the Morning Routine will meet you there. It’s what separates Recovery = Freedom from other places. Jason concluded “Sadly my story isn’t unique but having shared experiences and coming from a place of complete understanding, while being able to help carve out a proven path to long term happiness and peace is why I opened and am a part of the Recovery = Freedom.