Hazelden: New 'Sober24' Online Community for People in Recovery

Center City, Minn. — Hazelden announced that it has launched a newly enhanced Sober24, the online social media site that helps people throughout the world maintain their recovery from addiction and compulsive behaviors. The site, at www.sober24.com, offers online membership as a free service to everyone in recovery, providing members with easy access to the recovery community, as well as experts, resources and services in addiction treatment.

Sober24 is an important resource and meeting ground for family members and loved ones of people in recovery. “Anyone who finds Twelve Step peer recovery and personal growth meaningful in their lives is welcome,” said Kris Van Hoof-Haines, executive director of Media Ventures at Hazelden.

Hazelden acquired Sober24 from Guideposts magazine earlier this year. In addition to the site's popular discussion groups, chats and recovery news, Sober24 now includes:

• Regular peer Twelve Step meetings moderated by members of the Sober24 and Hazelden communities.

• A monthly book club featuring weekly posts by selected authors, culminating in a live chat event among site members and the author. The first club selection is Twelve Smart Things to Do When The Booze and Drugs Are Gone: Choosing Emotional Sobriety through Self-Awareness and Right Action by Allen Berger, Ph.D.

• “Diary of an Alcoholic Housewife” blog by Brenda Wilhelmson. The blog chronicles Wilhelmson's struggle to identify as a recovering alcoholic within a culture of heavy social drinking.

• “Pep Talk with Earnie Larsen” blog featuring wisdom and inspiration recovery-coach-style by the popular author and speaker

• A secure, private place for personal journaling with the option of following prompts from recovery advocate and author William Cope Moyers.

• A “tell us your story” section where site members are invited to submit personal stories of their recovery.

The popular SoberFuse tracking tool remains in place on Sober24. If members register to use this free tool, they will be prompted with questions that measure the status of their sobriety each time they sign into the site. Imagery of a fuse reveals how close they are to the possibility of relapse. If the end of the fuse is reached, the list of friends and supporters that the member provided at registration is immediately notified via email.

With a membership base of approximately 11,000 and growing, Sober24 currently experiences an average of 350 site visits a day from individuals in the United States and 52 other countries. “As Sober24 membership grows and evolves, so will the site's features and enhancements,” Van Hoof-Haines said. “Our goal is to offer a strong online community of support serving the needs of those in recovery worldwide.”