SoberFace Social Media Tool is Anonymous Support For Recovery, and Families

They update their “wall” and their status. They join chat groups and talk about the evening’s activities. They post pictures of their spouses and their children. One hour at a time, they work through recovery, connected by a new social media tool – SoberFace.
 

For people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, the comments and updates they see on a standard social media page might be a reminder of their addiction, or spur a craving. SoberFace, a new social media tool geared toward recovering addicts and their friends and family members, could be a healthy source of support and an alternative to other social media resources. SoberFace provides users with addiction and recovery information and support around the clock from any location and is not connected with any standard format for recovery.

The founders of SoberFace intended for the site to compliment the efforts a person is already doing to maintain or start recovery and as a source of guidance and encouragement for the family members of people with addictions. However, the founders of the site also recognize that making it to a recovery meeting in a group setting might not be possible for people who live in remote locations, or those who need childcare or transportation – but the support from SoberFace might be a place for help that is fully accessible.

SoberFace is also an arena where people recovering from substance abuse addictions can interact with a lessened chance of facing the peer pressure to return to a lifestyle that includes alcohol or drugs. Even without doing it intentionally, the influence of a person’s friends who are still involved with alcohol or drugs can trigger a relapse – something SoberFace is designed to help its users avoid. The site is free to use, open to anyone and has tabs for downloading music, videos or reading blogs related to recovery. Users can also access information for global recovery-related events, join a forum or be in a chat group.

Founded in Vancouver, SoberFace’s creators include one who is recovering from alcoholism and had the idea during a detoxification treatment that an online space for people with similar problems was needed. The other founders both have experience living with family members who suffer with addictions. Activities on SoberFace, in contrast to other social media tools, can allow users to remain totally anonymous. This means even celebrities –including Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan, who have both been invited to join – can talk about recovery with various groups of people openly without revealing their identities.

The terms for addiction and recovery used on SoberFace are a language of their own, and can be utilized by people from any location, yet the site is not intended to take the place of professional addiction treatment. Its benefit, say creators, lies in its ability to give someone a community of support and set up a space for sharing tips and concerns.

By getting friends and family members involved on SoberFace, say site founders, people working through recovery can help their loved ones see that recovery may take a long time, will likely involve relapses and can be a very difficult timeperiod before the journey to long-term sobriety is reached.