The archetypal image of a college party tends to look a lot like a scene from “Animal House”: wrought with drinking, drugs and wild antics. But for students who wish to remain sober, this can mean feeling excluded, especially when photos online make this behavior seem like a normal rite of passage.
“Students who abstain from alcohol and drugs, whether it’s due to previous addiction or for other personal reasons, definitely have concerns about making friends in college,” Rebecca Aronson, alcohol and substance abuse prevention specialist for DePaul’s Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, said. “Especially since some college students choose to experiment with alcohol or other drugs.”
DePaul alumnus Ben Zimmer looks to change that. He noticed how images of drinking and partying are especially prevalent among young users on social networks.
“There is something that people really love about posting pictures of red cups and wine glasses,” Zimmer said. “Substance use _ã and in some cases substance abuse _ã has become the norm, making it nearly impossible for those maintaining sobriety to have a drug and alcohol-free space.”
Zimmer and his brother Sam decided to create a social network for sober individuals to connect. The soon-to-be-launched application _ã aptly named Rebos, which is “sober” spelled backwards _ã will connect like-minded people for sober relationships and connections based upon location. Users create a profile and are able to specify their motivation for sobriety such as fitness, religion, straight edge or recovery.
Zimmer is looking to provide a space for people to connect without bars, clubs, or other environments conducive to drinking or drug use. And as Aronson notes, people who are recovering from an addiction need a safe and supportive place free from enablers in order to be successful.
“People are more successful with their recovery efforts when they have a caring, safe and supportive environment to live in,” Aronson said. “This should also translate to social media; individuals in recovery would likely benefit from ‘friending’ and following other individuals in recovery, as well as groups/organizations that promote sober living.”
Although Zimmer is not in recovery himself, his brother is approaching three years of sobriety. He hopes Rebos will help people like his brother and remove some of the stigma associated with sober living.
“My personal motivation is to support my brother and other people working everyday to stay clean,” Zimmer said.