Addiction Counselor Has Created An App To Save The Lives Of Recovering Addicts

Lucien Izraylov knows firsthand how difficult recovering from addiction can be because he’s been through it before. This Illinois-based 41-year-old came out on the other side of addiction. He was a heroin user himself for 12 years, but was able to quit. Now with years of sobriety under his belt, he’s hoping to help others to do the same. He created a smartphone application named Harmredux that is aimed to keep addicts alive, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Harmredux is a free app that is meant to help those battling addiction with the daily struggles they will come to face. With a mere press of a button they can be connected with volunteers willing and ready to assist them. These volunteers can meet the user, equipped with overdose-reversal medication on hand. Volunteers will then access the mental and physical state of the drug user and determine whether or not it is necessary to call 911. From there, they can even offer a referral to the addict so they can receive further treatment. Choosing whether or not to use this resource could determine the difference between life and death.

Not every recovering addict has the support of their family or friends. In many cases, their loved ones might not even know about their addiction. This application provides drug users with an emergency contact they can turn to while remaining anonymous.

Way to go my friend and fellow advocate Lucien Izraylov!!! https://t.co/iTRGi0a29l

— Laura Fry (@BradyIrishRose) March 2, 2019

Harmredux is not meant to violate any sort of privacy, but to provide an alternative for addicts if they want to take it. While Izraylov knows that not every addict will choose to take advantage of the app, he wants them to at least be aware that this is a resource available to them and that they don’t have to struggle alone.

“Not everyone will use it, but it’s nice to have an option. It’s a foolproof way to stay alive. It’s strictly to stay there and make sure they don’t die. Just to be within eyesight. If (an overdose) happens, we intervene.”

In his own experience with addiction, Izraylov didn’t want anyone he knew to find out about what he was going through. Wanting to keep his addiction a secret even kept him from receiving the help he knew he needed. While he knows that this app alone won’t solve our nation’s drug epidemic, he hopes it will help some.

“I think we need as much as we can out there to keep people alive so they can recover,” he said.