Freedom 365

While 70 percent of Americans struggling with a substance abuse disorder continue to remain employed, only 11 percent receive any form of help. Substance abuse by employees in the workplace leads to a host of problems ranging from lowered productivity, injuries, and in extreme cases fatalities. Moreover, the likelihood of workplace incidents like aggravated assault and sexual battery charges also skyrockets. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), the loss to companies because of substance abuse totals $81 billion a year in the U.S. alone. These staggering numbers do not include the “pain and suffering” aspects that cannot be measured in economic terms. Often people suffering from addiction are reluctant to seek help and take time off work for an inpatient treatment program. Due to the stigma attached to addiction, they would rather engage in self-care. The affected individuals are also unwilling to jeopardize their career or private lives to deal with a substance use issue.

Traditional treatment programs are not only expensive but lack effectiveness as most people relapse within the first 30 days. Founded by Brian McAlister, a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and licensed treatment facility CEO with 30 years of sobriety, Freedom 365 intends to close the gap between the number of people needing care for substance use disorder and those receiving help with its innovative virtual recovery solution. Freedom 365 enables companies to provide an early intervention solution to their employees struggling with substance abuse before it becomes chronic and at the same time helps improve their bottom line.

“Freedom 365 takes the content and activities of a substance use rehabilitation program and embeds it into an interactive, self-directed, digital experience that can be accessed privately—anytime, anywhere from the convenience of a smartphone, tablet, or PC,” explains Rory McAlister, Partner, and CMO, Freedom 365. Employees are empowered to manage their mental health with a comprehensive Full Recovery™ program which serves as a foundation in their journey toward success in life and recovery. The program has over 500 interactive videos, hundreds of self-reflective activities, and an entire suite of substance recovery tools including support meeting finder (such as AA meetings) and access to higher levels of care. A unique aspect about Freedom 365 is that itssolution enables individuals to take the most difficult first step of exploring if they have a substance use disorder and learning what long-term recovery looks like without publicly outing themselves. “Freedom 365™ aims to redirect self-destructive behaviors and refocus that energy on life-improving behaviors,” adds McAlister. Freedom 365 can be integrated into an employer’s existing wellness or benefits platforms to create a seamless experience for employees. There are several mental health assessments that help employees can utilize to evaluate whether they are at risk for certain mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Compared to high-cost treatment centers, Freedom 365 is an affordable life-saving recovery support solution that is available 24/7 and accessible from any device.

Moving forward, Freedom 365 intends to enhance its solution to offer a complete overall health plan. The company’s latest offering Track will be available in a few months and will focus on providing self-care for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. And later in the year, virtual recovery programs for anxiety and depression will be launched. Freedom 365 is also collaborating with partners in the criminal justice space to develop an interactive counseling program for drug and alcohol abusers that instead of incarcerating people will have them complete a virtual recovery program. This platform will help not only the individuals in their journey toward sobriety but also the counselors to track their progress, set appointments, reminders about drug tests, and communicate through an intuitive backend dashboard. Freedom 365 is committed to helping recovering people achieve their sobriety goals through the effective use of technology.