On the corner of Butternut and North McBride streets in Syracuse, a modest brick-and-tan building bears a small sign: “Devin’s Rec Room.” Inside, founder Henry Brigham says the welcome is simple and intentional.
“The only prerequisite is opening up the heaviest weight in this gym—the front door,” Brigham said. “As long as you have 48 hours of continuous sobriety, you’ve got a place. We are not a treatment center. We’re totally free.”
Cruise past the front door and find a state-of-the-art facility equipped with rows of free weights, Smith machines, treadmills, and stationary bikes. The space also includes a group fitness and yoga studio, a game room, a community room, showers, a pool table, ping-pong, and a retro console loaded with 10,000 games.
The center’s name carries a heavy meaning. Brigham has been in recovery for 32 years, and the loss of his oldest son, Devin, to a heroin overdose in 2001 inspired him to create a non-clinical space where others could find hope and connection.
“I saw in Central New York that the recovery community was kind of fragmented. I thought we needed a place like this,” he said.
The center cut its ribbon at the end of March with help from a $200,000 Onondaga County grant funded by the 2025 opioid pharmaceutical settlement. That support translates into an ultra-accessible free community for people in recovery in Syracuse.
Since opening in March, Devin’s Rec Room has grown rapidly; now with more than 300 active members. The center also hosts regular AA, NA, and mindfulness meetings, creating a schedule that blends physical fitness with emotional and spiritual recovery.
Beyond the equipment, the programming is designed to give people more healthy outlets. Black belt martial arts instructor Aku “AC” Coffee leads a self defense class every Saturday at 1pm. He says that martial arts offers people in recovery both discipline and release.
“Real strength is being able to control oneself when one is angry,” Coffee said. “You don’t learn self-defense to hurt people—it’s about controlling your anger. Recovery needs outlets. When your mind starts to go back to old places, you need something else to do.”
Mindfulness brings the quieter side of recovery. Instructor Rachel Currier said Thursday nights begin with a guided meditation, followed by a speaker and open discussion.
“Every time we bring our mind back, we’re building that muscle—just like strength training, but for attention,” Currier said.
From the county’s perspective, spaces like Devin’s Rec Room fill an important gap in recovery resources. Onondaga County’s Director of Substance Use Initiatives Mariah Seneca Riley, who helped direct the settlement funds that launched the center, said it stood out as an excellent non-clinical recovery community accessible to all.
“Having a space where alcohol isn’t an ever-present specter is really important—especially in early recovery. People need positive, pro-social activities with a strong peer element, ” Seneca Riley said. “So many social activities revolve around drinking. A site like Devin’s lets people connect without that pressure.”
According to the Onondaga County Health Department, more than 30,000 residents live with substance use disorder, and many more are affected by it. Brigham says that addiction touches nearly every family in some way.
“You’d think the stigma would be gone by now, but it’s not,” he said. “People say it must be the folks on the corner or the homeless person. No—it could be your cousin, your brother, your daughter, your mom, your dad. Everybody is affected or can be affected by addiction. Recovery is not a weakness; it’s a strength. Some of the strongest people I know are in recovery.”
Ashley Baker, who has been sober for more than a year, calls Devin’s Rec Room a lifeline.
“It’s a safe space. There’s no judgment. I’ve come here just to talk, just to get things off my chest,” Baker said. “Every time I come here, everybody’s welcoming. I’ve never come here and left without a smile on my face.”
Member Kristen Gushlaw said that Henry and Barbara would drop everything to help their members.
“This place is that support system that I've needed…Henry is amazing, we come a couple of times a week. They have the self-defense classes, the meetings—it’s helped keep me clean,” Gushlaw said.
For Brigham, he says the mission remains clear: to build dignity, community, and hope in his son’s name.
“We try to keep ourselves as a family to other people, and I think that atmosphere shines through,” he said.
He hopes the success on Butternut Street can serve as a model, with more Devin’s Rec Rooms across Onondaga County so that anyone seeking recovery has a welcoming free outlet close to home.
