The Path

Simply put, addiction is the chronic dysregulation of a coping mechanism. Any behavior that is used in excess as a response to avoiding feelings can be categorized as addictive behavior, and therefore most people can benefit from the principles of recovery. The Path is a tool to be used in conjunction with other support systems, like therapy or twelve step sponsorship, as a way to facilitate a deeper understanding of one's self and potential barriers to recovery.

The person we designed for was someone who recognized they had an issue, but felt a barrier to attending in-person recovery. Someone may feel that way for a myriad of reasons–covid-19 anxiety, not identifying with the singular addiction the meeting is specified for, and many other feelings that block people from getting the help they need from recovery. The Path allows access to tools of recovery for a person to explore in their own time.

The experience pulls resources from several places, namely ‘The Big Book’ of Alcoholics Anonymous, ‘A Gentle Path Through The Twelve Steps’ by Patrick Carnes, and Gabor Mate’s work on trauma. Pairing the metaphor of a path, or a journey, with an 8-bit game-play aesthetic helps people to identify themselves in the ‘game’ by externalizing their emotions and seeing positive feedback loops of their recovery.