Boston-Based Apps Help People Recovering from Addiction

BOSTON (CBS) – Drug addiction is a public health crisis in Massachusetts and across the country. Now two Boston-based start-ups are using technology to try to make a difference. “At 18, I was a stone cold, strung out, homeless, heroin addict,” says Jack Kelly who has been sober for eleven years. “I know how hard it is to go through it and how difficult it is to achieve sobriety,” says Kelly. “I’ve lost a lot of people close to myself who have died because of an overdose. So I guess on one hand, I’ve made it but a lot people haven’t.” Hoping to change that, Kelly developed a smartphone app called iRecover. It went live less than a week ago and allows people struggling with addiction to find local meetings, network with others, and call out directly for help. “Right at the bottom there’s a big red button that says ‘call 911’ if you need immediate assistance, if you’re overdosing or someone you know is,” says Kelly. iRecover app (WBZ-TV) Nick Krasucki is a recovering alcoholic. “There’s an app for runners to find each other,” says Krasucki. “There’s an app for alumni from colleges to find each other, for gay men to find each other but not for sober people to find each other,” he adds. That, he says, is critical for people to stay sober. Krasucki and his colleague, Beau Mann, also in recovery, created Sober Grid, a social networking app which allows members to connect all over the world. “Somebody who kno...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Dr. Mallika Marshall Drug Addiction iRecover Sober Grid Source Type: news