When I came out of rehab in 2005, the operating system for recovery, as I’ve come to think of it, utilized a system architecture created by two men in a Brooklyn brownstone in 1934.

It was essentially an analogue system built on the analogue technologies of the day books and social gatherings and it existed to help those of us who struggle with substances find our way through the worst of our cravings.

It helped us through the toughest moments, when the world felt all but impossible to live in, when taking another drink or drug felt terrifyingly inevitable.  

Alcoholics Anonymous, the original operating system for recovery, was an important and defining innovation that has helped many millions of people recover, myself included.

It gave a framework and a community to a group of people who desperately needed one, and it’s grown and flourished for almost a century now.

And yet, some eighty-five percent of people who achieve sobriety end up relapsing in that first year. Which begs the question: Why?

Systems Failure

It’s a complicated answer, of course, and there’s no one variable we can point to. But I think that when we perform a root cause analysis, to borrow an overused business term, the vast majority of return-to-use cases boil down to this: systems failure.

Or, more specifically, operating systems failure.

Achieving sobriety exclusively through The Program has worked for many people, but it could work for many more if it was reimagined.

And while I recognize that suggesting even minor updates to AA might feel uncomfortable to some even controversial it's important to acknowledge that nearly ninety years is an incredibly long time to go without a significant update.

When Bill and Ebby first imagined AA and wrestled with writing the Twelve Steps, they drew inspiration from the Oxford Group and navigated the immense challenges of the Great Depression.

They were also limited by the technology and psychological insights of their era.

Those historical constraints gave birth to the invaluable framework we know today, but it’s important to both understand and highlight that we no longer face those constraints.

We live in an era defined by connectivity, personalization, advanced therapeutic methodologies, and unprecedented technological possibilities.

Which means it’s way past time we imagine a completely new operating system for recovery.

RecoveryAI was founded with exactly this mission in mind.

To put it clearly: We’re building the operating system for recovery the new standard in addressing substance use disorder.

Twelve Step methodology, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and harm reduction form the core programming languages of our OS.

And we're confident the future will introduce many more.

Ebby and EbbyRx are our first two connected technologies, designed to deliver personalized, real-time, and adaptive support that meets people exactly where they are.

We’ve also got a product roadmap and a vision for the future that takes into account the most significant challenge of our time that smartphones are simultaneously one of our biggest problems, and one of our best solutions.

Toward a Smarter Solution

RecoveryAI represents a shift—not away from what works, but toward what can work even better.

It is the culmination of acknowledging where we’ve come from and embracing the transformative potential of where we are.

Imagine the possibilities when recovery methodologies merge seamlessly with predictive analytics, real-time interventions, and continuous adaptive support.

Imagine recovery not just as an aspiration, or something only available to a lucky few, but as an everyday, accessible reality empowered by technology.

At RecoveryAI, we're not discarding tradition; we’re simply evolving it.

We're harnessing the timeless wisdom of community and combining it with cutting-edge technological innovation.

In doing so, we aim to drastically reduce recurrence rates, empower people in their hardest moments, and redefine what successful recovery looks like.

The world needs a new operating system for recovery, and we’re building it.

This is our mission, our promise, and our path forward.

We’re creating a future where recovery is not just possible, but inevitable for all who seek it.