Hitting 10 years sober

Hitting 10 years sober.

This is Jason, the Founder & CEO of Pink Cloud. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict, and my sobriety date for alcohol is February 23rd, 2015; ten years ago.

I started drinking at age fourteen when I blacked out during my first time drinking. In my early 30s, a doctor told me she believed I was an alcoholic, and if I did not go to at least one recovery meeting she would drop me as a client. I was desperate for her help, so I listened. I walked into a meeting... and walked right out - since she did not say I had to stay at the meeting. She ended up keeping me as a client and helped keep me alive during a bumpy bottom.

However, on February 23rd, 2015, I woke up in a different city than where I lived, at the end of an unplanned four-day bender. The only clothes I had were Christmas pajamas I had stolen over my holiday drinking, shoes with holes in them, and a stolen hoodie. I drove home and started shaking and dry-heaving in bed. I found the number of the local group that ran meetings and they sent me to a noon men’s recovery meeting. Though I left after thirty minutes, it was still progress, and I kept it up.

Fast-forward, with the support and care of fellow meeting members, I ended up attending 110 meetings in the first ninety days. At that time, I also started working on the prototype for the Pink Cloud app to give myself something to do, as I had been fired from my job and had a lot of time on my hands. I also figured it would help to have something extra on top of my resume to show potential employers when I went on job interviews.

Since our launch on November 23, 2016, we have had over 350,000 people install the app in, as of today, 107 countries. We are only growing from here, and we are excited about the Pink Cloud's updates to come. As we move forward, we continue to roll out new tools, new features, and wider coverage in the U.S. and globally.

Before I got sober, I used to wake up thinking my life had no value. I don’t wake up thinking that anymore, and my goal is to have as many people see the value they have in their own lives as well. I thank all the people in my life who have and continue to support me throughout my recovery journey. The Pink Cloud team will continue to be by your side. Here's to ten years sober.

With Utmost Gratitude,

Jason Varughese