“It was pretty scary before sobriety,” admits MJ, the calmness in his voice belying the level of desperation to which he and his life had plummeted. “I was, let’s just say, happy to not wake up.” But after several failed attempts at sobriety and a painful two-year relapse, MJ Johnson arrived at Ashley’s front door with hopes of a new and lasting solution. While he acknowledges now that a Higher Power led him to Ashley, he also admits that there was more than a little reluctance. At the time, he wasn’t sure that “God with a capital G” was something he could wrap around his heart or his head.

MJ’s growth into recovery began to blossom at Ashley with Recovery Dharma, a practice he acknowledges felt “less forceful and drastic” than some of the other messages he was being presented at the time. In time, the nurturing care of Ashley staff provided him with the grace, and the space, he needed to heal. The turning point for MJ was a prayer, one in which he earnestly prayed for something – whatever it was that made him resistant to a solution – to be removed.

In that moment, he recalls, an answer came: “The obstacle is you.”

 The experience that followed at Ashley paved the way for MJ to not just arrive, but to thrive. He remembers fondly the warmth and comfort of Rachael, who made him feel safe at a time when he was filled with only fear and anxiety. A counselor named Jay was among those who made the biggest impact, helping MJ recognize that his dreams could be realized, and that as his resentments faded away, the strength of his restored character and a newly found resiliency would remain.

“Ashley provided me with a safe and healing place,” recalls MJ, “where I could discard all l thought I knew about myself, and start laying the cornerstones of who I was meant to be all along.”

MJ has remained determined to keep that Ashley connection as robust as ever. After having two years of continued sobriety under his belt, he speaks to the patients regularly, is a lead counselor at a 3.1 men’s program, and is very active with the Virtual Alumni Chapter. There’s clearly still a vibrancy for Ashley that flows out of and through him.

“Ashley is magical, spiritual, and hallowed grounds,” MJ says with grateful reverence. “There’s just something about being there – driving up that long driveway – that heals the soul.” The invaluable gift MJ gives back in return is his own inspirational story to those patients who are about to begin the journey he began in 2024.

“I spent 2024’s Alumni Reunion in inpatient,” says MJ with a smile. “Yet in 2025, I led the Sobriety Countdown and brought my family to reunion. What a full circle moment.” MJ’s transformation, like all in recovery, continues. Now working with those in recovery himself, he freely affirms that he is right where he is supposed to be. A beloved prayer – “God, lead me where you need me and help me when I get there” – is his guide.

And his advice to a “younger self,” that hesitant guy that arrived at Ashley full of uncertainty? “Let it happen,” says MJ gratefully. “When we try to block the bad things, we can also block the good stuff – and therefore block God. Just let it happen.