Seattle Startup Aims to Support Addiction Recovery

The first year of sobriety can be the most difficult time in your life, and a strong support network can make all the difference between maintaining your sobriety and relapsing back into your addiction.

This is something Daniela Luzi Tudor understands very well, and the reason why she created WeConnect, a Seattle startup that aims to support those in recovery.

Origin Story: WeConnect

Tudor came up with the idea for an app to help recovering addicts while she was undergoing treatment for her own alcohol and drug addiction. For over a year she had tried on her own to control her addiction and was losing the battle. Finally, she hit rock bottom and knew she needed help. During her in-patient treatment, she learned the startling fact that up to 60 percent of recovering addicts relapse according to the National Institute on Drug Addiction.

WeConnect aims to reduce that rate using a variety of tools, working towards sustainable long-term recovery.

Our mission is to support inpatient, outpatient, healthcare systems, sober living programs and partners to save lives. We achieve this by reducing relapse and making recovery fun, accountable and keeping individuals connected to community support.–-WeConnect Mission Statement

How It Works

The app is made for counselors, health care professionals, and support systems to keep up-to-date and keep track of those in recovery. Its features are designed to create a community of recovering addicts and keep them connected with their support networks. In a recent interview, Tudor said, “The opposite of addiction is really connection.”

WeConnect creates this connection using simple check-in tools and scheduling features. Users can:

• Enter and track activities (meetings, exercise, hygiene, work, etc.)
• Create support lists of professionals, family, and friends
• ‘Check-in’ using GPS location tracking
• Use the SOS feature to signal a need for immediate support

Data is then sent back to involved healthcare professionals to help ensure that those in recovery are staying on track and to allow them to reach out easily if help is needed.

What Makes WeConnect Different

What sets the WeConnect app apart from other, similar tools? First, it combines three crucial components of a successful long-term recovery:

• Accountability
• Structure
• Support

These three factors must be present in order to create sustainable sobriety.

The app keeps recovering addicts accountable for their actions since their support networks have their location and activity data on hand. It also provides a structured way to get through the day; this is often lost once an addict completes inpatient treatment. Finally, it puts addicts’ support networks in the palm of their hand, available at a moment’s notice should they begin experiencing cravings or just simply feel overwhelmed.

In addition, WeConnect offers incentives to those who complete their goals and maintain their activities. Points are awarded and can be redeemed for rewards such as Starbucks gift cards. This significant feature gives somebody in recovery something to work towards, helping to keep him or her on track.

Mind, Body and Spirit

Essentially, WeConnect offers an extension of some of the significant benefits of an in-patient treatment center, namely, 24/7 support for your recovering mind, body, and spirit. Finding and keeping the balance between these three components is critical to successful recovery, and nobody can do it alone.

RECOVERY NEEDS COMMUNITY.

At Recovery Village Ridgefield, we understand this. If you or a loved one are battling addiction in Seattle or Washington State, our treatment facility is ready to welcome you. Find your addiction recovery community with us and get started towards recovery.  Learn more about admissions today.