Former addict bikes across America to inspire healing

One Southwest Florida man from Felda is on a mission to help people struggling with drugs and alcohol, using a new cycle to help addicts to break free of the same cycle he was stuck in for decades.  

Jim Downs described losing almost everything to his 34-year battle against an addiction to methamphetamine and alcohol.   

“I started drinking when I was 12; at the age of 14, I started doing meth. Meth was my poison, and the alcohol and meth went together for 34 years,” Downs said. “I was married five  times, ruined every single one of them. I never could hold a job. I was homeless. I ate out of garbage cans.”  

Downs then lost his best friend, Alex Peters, to drugs.  

“I actually saw him take his last breath,” Downs said. “I saw his mother cry. It sparked something in me.”  

Downs sought help at a free detox center in Panama City. There, he found his sobriety and a new purpose in life.  

“I want to be able to reach those that are in addiction to let them know that there’s hope,” Downs said. “There is life after addiction.”  

So Downs created a plan to “Ride Around America for Addiction Awareness,” traveling through 48 states and biking 15,700 miles to share his message. The journey will begin in Fort Myers with the new year and last the duration of 2019, as Downs visits 48 state capitals.  

“We’re not saving hundreds of people; we’re saving hundreds of thousands of people by giving them hope,” Downs said.

Downs invites everyone to join the pre-cycling sobriety celebration that begins at 9 a.m. at the Fort Myers City Hall on January 1.

“I hope that my message that I have to share will encourage and empower those that are out there that are in recovery to reach out to those still struggling with addiction,” Downs said.