The Second Road gets mentioned in the press
Our biggest project of the last 8 months has been The Second Road. This site is built on top of the framework that I started developing back at Category4.com (which they released as open source). We had a big roll-out on May 29th, which we completed and clarified much of the functionality. The site just got a nice write up in the local paper:
Often it is late at night, when there is neither a 12-step meeting to attend nor anyone awake to phone, that the craving for a drink is strongest.
And it is times like these when Ginger Bauler goes online to reach out to others recovering from addiction, finding solace in their tales of success and providing encouragement for those trying to break the shackles of dependency.
Bauler, who used to manage a research laboratory in Charlottesville, writes a blog about her struggles with alcoholism and her quest for sobriety on The Second Road — a new online support community for drug and alcohol addicts started by Charlottesville residents.
Writing about her battles enables Bauler to become “accountable” for her recovery, she says. And meeting and keeping in touch with those dealing with similar experiences gives her strength.
“I develop these relationships with total strangers, but with whom I’m completely connected because of this disease,” said Bauler, who has become a managing editor of the site.
The Second Road is the brainchild of local documentary filmmaker Melissa Shore, who partnered with Chip Ransler, owner of a digital publishing firm, to launch the site in November. By late May the social networking site had 225 members and more than 1,400 different people had visited it in a recent 10-day stretch.
Each member of The Second Road has his or her own profile page, similar to sites such as Facebook and MySpace, where they can post information and display customized features. The site also includes a series of blogs, chat groups, a “sharing wall” for inspirational quotes and testimonial videos from recovering addicts.
Shore, who grew up watching family members battle addictions, noticed that there was a gap in services for people in recovery and a need for round-the-clock services.
People in recovery do not always have access to meetings or counseling services, and some may have no one to turn to in times of crisis, Shore realized. That is especially true in rural communities, where social services either might not be readily available or are far away.
“There are hours of the day when you can’t or don’t feel comfortable reaching out for help,” Shore said. “The beauty of the Internet, of course, is that it’s 24-7.”
The site has won praise from many in the local mental health community as a vital tool to help round out recovery services.
“The concept is absolutely brilliant,” said Jeff Gould, administrator of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Drug Court. “This type of online recovery network is just perfect for people who can’t get to meetings.”
Beth Elliott, a retired social worker who advises the site’s creators, says that members are using The Second Road to implement the treatment plans they develop with counselors, through making lists and blogging about their successes and missteps.