Steady
No judgment. Only support. We’re so glad you’re here.
About three years ago, I pretty dramatically reduced my alcohol consumption. I was just wrapping up a two-year MBA program at Columbia while working full-time in finance. I’d gotten married during that time, and also lost my childhood best friend, Brittney, in a car accident (see here).
From the outside, I looked happy and healthy, but I was tired. Everything felt hard. I felt weak, physically and emotionally.
With tuition payments behind me and some newfound time to fill, I started working with a personal trainer with a goal of gaining some strength and muscle mass.
I started learning what that actually required: 120 grams of protein a day, consistent training, and good sleep.
I started wearing a WHOOP and suddenly I had some pretty powerful data at my fingertips. WHOOP showed me what even a single glass of wine did to my heart rate variability and sleep quality. And because I had a clear goal and strong data to help me make informed decisions about the most efficient way to reach that goal, cutting out drinking wasn’t actually that hard. I’m a type A logical thinker after all.
What was hard was figuring out what my social life looked like without alcohol.
Not drinking meant reassessing the friendships and social routines that were basically constructed around alcohol. The whole purpose of going out to brunch was for bottomless mimosas. Hanging with my girlfriends meant drinking several bottles of wine. My confidence at industry events came from the glass in my hand. Drinking was fun. And I wasn’t really sure I knew how to hang without it.
I could probably write an entire series about the things that seemed normal in my 20s that, in retrospect, were definitely a little alarming.
One moment, though, stands out in particular.
After Brittney died, a group of us – girls I’ve known since nursery school but hadn’t kept up with in years – got together at a friend’s house after the funeral. When I arrived, I noticed there were no drinks. No wine, nothing. And I remember thinking: “wait …are we doing this whole reconnecting and grieving thing sober?”
Even in that moment, I knew it was something I should pay attention to.
And now, looking back, I’m like “Yep. Definitely a warning sign.”
Over the past several years, addiction has touched the lives of people close to me. Each experience has been different, but the common thread is how painful and complicated it can be for everyone involved.
Those experiences prompted me to dive into the research, and where Steady – the app I’ve been building to support people through addiction recovery – began to take shape.
In the process, I learned that 40-60% of the risk of developing an addiction is genetic.
Forty to sixty percent.
Some studies suggest it’s even as high as 70%.
Addiction runs in my family, so I always knew there was some risk, but I didn’t realize just how much of a role genetics played. And I think I probably owe it to Will Ahmed (founder of WHOOP) for the gentle awakening. With hindsight, I can see what a slippery slope I might’ve been on.
So, I’m not in recovery myself. But I built Steady for people who are, and I built it for people like me, too:
People in support roles.
People with complicated histories with alcohol.
People who want to understand more, do better, and show up for the people they love.
Steady is designed to make that support more accessible. It’s not my intention to replace clinical and professional care or in-person support, but simply to serve as a complement, and to be there to lean on during those “in between” moments.
Love,
Em
PS: You can learn more about Steady at our website. My co-founder Mackenzie and I have big visions for the future of recovery support, and we think this is just the beginning. If you’re interested in connecting, shoot us a note at hello@hellosteady.com. And BY THE WAY, cutting back on drinking is so freaking rewarding. My friend Helena says it best in her post Sobriety is My Superpower. It took me some time to figure out that I can have fun, be a good time, and feel completely and totally confident without drinking. I mean come on, I do Ironmans now and I built a functioning app? Talk about finding your strength! Past me could have never.