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Former alcoholic Samuel Bennett wants all recovering addicts to experience a supportive community, even on the go. So he’s creating an app to help others finally get clean because “nobody can do it on their own,” he said. Bennett, who began drinking when he was 12-years-old, says alcohol suppressed his pain and sadness, while also made him feel “confident and powerful.” Bennett’s journey to recovery wasn’t an easy one; he spent many years in and out of rehab for both alcohol and drug abuse, and for a period of time, he was also homeless and deeply depressed.
Now, at the age of 31, Bennett is celebrating two years of sobriety, and he wants to inspire others to get help and stay on the right path, by using his app, Meet4ACoffee. The app, which is free to download, and is set to launch sometime later this summer, connects recovering addicts from all around the world and provides users access to drug treatment centers, mental health teams, and other support groups. One important feature tracks the number of clean days and shares encouraging messages to those fighting to better their situation.
“You can’t just wake up one morning out of a life of drinking, drugs, prison and say ‘I’m not going to bother with this anymore’. Recovery supports recovery. It really does. This is how it has worked for hundreds of years. All I’m doing is putting that support network into a digital format,” he said.
To fund the app, Bennett turned to crowdfunding, betting on the kindness of others to propel the idea that saved his life forward and into thousands of hands. When Bennett dreamt up the idea, he was homeless. Eventually, the spark of inspiration turned into one of his steps towards recovery and later, a passion, a way for him to better the world, and ultimately, himself.
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