An amazing gift to the 12 Step recovery community is about to be launched via iTunes. ann-e is a peer to peer application which brings people in recovery together via a safe and secure communication method. The ann-e iPhone Application is a high utility tool making use of the simple concept – Together we can do what we could never do alone.
Addiction can be seen as a disease of isolation and the ann-e app provides a vehicle for a safe and anonymous way to stay connected with other recovering addicts, no matter where you are. Whether you’ve missed your plane and are stranded in LAX, at a conference in Las Vegas, walking down the aisle of a big box store, or in your own backyard, there is someone not far from you who will understand and anonymously support you to do the next right thing.
The concept for the ann-e iPhone app was conceived when the creator, Annie, was in a grocery store minutes before closing. Behind her at the checkout counter was an extremely obese man leaning on a cart filled with every imaginable brand of junk food, candy, and ice cream. He would not make eye contact. Annie’s heart immediately went out to him. She knew too well where he was headed. The picture of him in so much pain stayed with her. She had a burning desire to help.
Days later, when Annie was walking her dog, thinking about what she saw in the store, an idea came to her. What if that man had known, even before walking into the store, that there were people close by who understood addiction and who could help because they themselves were in recovery? If he entered that store with an awareness of the support structure surrounding him, would he have been able to make different choices? What if he was also given the option to connect with someone in the area who would talk to him while the cravings passed? That person might be right across the street. Annie began to visualize a network of addicts from more than four-dozen different 12 Step programs, supporting each other.
The nine months between the inception of this idea and bringing this application to life fell into place easily and effortlessly. This project seemed to be inspired by more than the man at the check-out counter. As more of us become aware of ann-e, the world will certainly become our safety net. We are each such a wonderful resource for each other. No one need ever feel alone again. No one need ever lose another precious minute to this disease of addiction.
www.ann-e.com