One of our alumni, Samuel, wrote to me recently to let me know about a new social media support service he is setting up called Meet4aCoffee.
I wanted to share his venture with the rest of our alumni so I invited Samuel to answer some questions for us:
Robin: I’m really overjoyed to hear the great progress you have been making with your social networking app Samuel. What was it that inspired you to do this?
Samuel: I was inspired to create meet4acoffee through my own experiences of addiction and accessing support from fellow people in recovery that understood me and could give a helping hand, recovery can be a very lonely place and I want to put an end to that, getting to meetings and making friends is not always an easy thing to find despite recovery being all about supporting the newcomer.
I’ve not always found fellowship meetings comfortable in the past and with my addiction having taken me to many cities all over the UK, support was few and far between. I wanted to give people a safe social network that connects us all, so support is accessible from anywhere around the world at the touch of a button but then also to give services with little government funding the chance to be able to showcase themselves on the app to the people that really matter to all of us.
Therefore creating a brand new social recovery network that connects us all to each other and to all the vital services and supporting organisations.
Robin: What are your memories of your time at PROMIS?
Samuel: I have been to many rehabilitation centres over the years and indeed PROMIS was one of them. I was probably around the age of 19 when I went through PROMIS and I’m now 31, PROMIS left me with very fond memories.
I met some amazing people there and it opened my eyes to many addictions that people struggle with, I was a ruin when I arrived at PROMIS, picked up by a driver of the PROMIS team, then into detox in Kent, a beautiful place just a blur as I arrived my drinking had taken me to many dark places but in PROMIS I found some light.
I made great friends with people and found a little bit of who I was for the first time looking up at those stars at night that are so bright. Yes! I will always remember PROMIS.
Robin: Do you have a technical background or did you have to learn a lot to be able to produce this?
Samuel: I have no technical background whatsoever, however, what I do know about is addiction and recovery and how for each individual the path is different within addiction and within recovery.
What we can all share is the want to be able to help someone else within there recovery, which in turn helps us. Launching this app is my recovery, and now my life’s dream and passion. Fortunately, I have a full team of people that do know tech! They are on standby to build the meet4acoffee app.
Robin: At the moment I see you have apps in development for both apple and android. Any news on when they will be released?
Samuel: 2017 has been a long year with so much work having gone into this, having started this homeless, sitting on the streets with a pencil and one piece of paper, I’ve come a long way in a year. I hope to secure investment now which would give us a launch date of May 2018!
Robin: I see that you have chosen to keep it free. Why did you feel that was so important?
Samuel: Meet4aCoffee has to be free! I’ve had many people try to sway my thinking to charge for this app but I am not prepared to put a price of getting support, the app will be free to the immediate user
Download it and enjoy the social recovery network.
It will be available for people of all financial status!
Robin: How do you see the app developing? Are there other services or features you would like to build into it?
Samuel: over the next few years once I have launched I hope to see organisations coming on board, NHS, mental health teams, personal trainers, rehabs, support groups, homeless teams and so many more, There is a place for them all within the app.
Meet4acoffee will bring the world of recovery together for the first time on one social platform, do you want recovery? Do you need support? Want to know who is closest to you to give you that? Or just want to chat and make friends. Download the FREE app on Apple or Android in 2018.
If you would like to help by contributing to the funding of this app you can make a donation here:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/meet4acoffee
You can see the main project website here:
https://www.meet4acoffee.com
