Breaking the cycle: Reno Grit program aids addiction recovery through fitness, community

Every Saturday there’s an energy that fills the air at ReDirect Athletics in Reno.

There’s punching, jabbing and kicking, but the fight is about way more than martial arts.

The cycle of addiction and homelessness can be a brutal one to break.

There’s a program in Reno called Grit that’s using the gym and giving back to help those in recovery stay strong and get their life back on track.

Addiction recovery and homeless advocate Grant Denton has been running the Grit program since January.

“The Grit program is designed to reintegrate people from treatment or streets back into the community by using exercise, volunteering and a little bit of wellness,” Denton said.

Denton picks up men and women at local recovery shelters in a van and brings them to the gym. They learn about boxing and the importance of self care in recovery. For those who are getting sober and off the streets, it’s been a life changer.

“At 29 years old, I’m tired of messing up and this is very important to me… this is the best the I could have done in my life is joining this program,” said participant Brandon Hall.

On this day, Hall is four months and six days sober. He says he’s fighting for his health and family — a family that now includes at 7-month-old daughter.

The Grit program also goes into local treatment centers during the week, but on the weekend, after the gym workout — there’s some community clean up to do.

Denton said it’s one of the most important facets of the program. The group goes out to homeless camps on the streets, where a lot of these folks came from, and help pick-up trash and engage with people and send messages of recovery.

Silver Summit Health Plan has committed to paying for the first year of this Grit program. ReDirect Fitness has also partnered with them to give them a facility to work out in.

Denton says the program is open to anyone in the community working towards sobriety.