Sober Active NYC fuels recovery through fitness
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Sober Active NYC meets weekly to help people stay fit and engaged through their recovery. The group also holds regular virtual sessions. Photo courtesy of Sober Active NYC
By David Brand
Attorney Tom Shanahan still didn’t feel healthy, even after he quit cocaine and alcohol more than nine years ago.
Recovery, a challenging path facilitated by regular 12-step meetings, left him smoking more and more, even pausing for a cigarette during his gym workouts. He was eating more, too, binging on sugar. And when he brought these habits up at his group meetings, other members told him it wasn’t the right venue.
“I wanted to understand the exercise and nutrition science to get my body healthy the way the 12 steps worked for my mind,” he said.
Trainer and attorney Tom Shanahan founded Sober Active NYC to help people in recovery stay fit and engaged. Photo courtesy of Sober Active NYC
Shanahan got certified in advanced nutrition and became a personal trainer to learn the science behind his cravings. He found a community of people across the country who continued to battle unhealthy behaviors even after they quit the illegal stuff. He wrote a book “Sober Adrenaline” and helped strengthen a diffuse support network in his hometown by co-founding Sober Active NYC.
The program helps New Yorkers stay fit and engaged while they contend with substance use, trauma, depression and anxiety — a mission that has taken on an even greater purpose during COVID isolation, Shanahan said.
“I was getting contacted by a lot of people in recovery who were having a hard time. They didn’t have 12-step meetings in person,” he said. “But also neighbors of mine were reaching out to me and saying, ‘You know, I’ve been drinking every day since March 17, do you think I have a problem? Gyms had closed and the only thing open were liquor stores and supermarkets.”
Since July, Sober Active NYC has hosted free weekly in-person workout sessions coupled with 12-step meetings. Before that, Shanahan organized virtual classes five days a week on Facebook.
“I saw an opportunity and said, ‘I think the city needs it now more than ever,’” he said.
The Sober Active in-person sessions take place every Wednesday in Central Park and often feature instructors who themselves have experience with recovery, trauma or addiction, such as a yoga teacher who recently quit nicotine and a Manhattan Equinox trainer who lost hundreds of pounds but continues to contend with overeating.
Shanahan said he has been working with gyms and organizations in other boroughs, including a likely partnership in Flushing that will expand the initiative’s multilingual offerings, another important component of the program.
A yoga class last week featured English, Mandarin and Indonesian instruction. This week, Spanish-speaking trainers will lead workouts.
“We’re trying to reach as many New Yorkers as possible,” he said.
