WWE Hall of Famer, and Raw GM, Kurt Angle, partners with SoberNetwork Inc. to create recovery program

The Program known as Anglestong works with recovering addicts to help them avoid relapse after exiting rehab.

The path to recovery after addiction is something many people have to face every single day. Recovering addicts often find themselves relapsing soon after leaving their rehabilitation center. According to the American Addiction Centers, the average rates of patients who relapse are between 40 to 60 percent. The curious fact about these rates is the similarity in relapse rates to that of other diseases including hypertension, asthma, and type 1 diabetes.

Addiction is a very common occurrence in society, however it is not something that is often discussed and many are hesitant to call addiction a disease.

Kurt Angle, a former Olympic Wrestler, WWE Hall of Famer, and the Current Manager of WWE Raw is a prime example of someone who hit rock bottom yet was able to successfully pull himself out of addiction. As a result, he was able become a better person for himself and his family. Angle was under an immense amount of pressure from various factors when he fell deep into his addiction to painkillers.

His mindset at the time was that he didn’t actually have a problem. At the height of his abuse of painkillers he was charged with 4 DUIs in 5 years. While others, perhaps less fortunate, in Angle’s position may have spotted a problem sooner – due to the charges getting reduced, or dropped – Angle continued to ignore the problem. Being a WWE superstar, his main priority was keeping himself in top physical condition and he wasn’t going to allow for anything to get in the way of that.

“I was in major denial.” admitted Angle. “It wasn’t until my fourth DUI in 2013 – I called my wife from jail and she told me that she wouldn’t be home when I got out. She couldn’t continue to live with me, and with how I was acting. She wanted me to go to rehab, and get myself straight.”

It was at that moment that Angle truly understood that it was time for him to make a change. However, even given this realization, he was still partly in denial. Angle felt that going to rehab would be a solution to taking care of his legal troubles. It wasn’t until he arrived to the rehab facility that he fully realized how serious of a problem it truly was.

After leaving rehab, Angle wasn’t yet ready to handle the everyday pressures that come with returning to regular life. It took a lot of support from his family for him to really be successful.

“I always had a good relationship with my kids, however, It wasn’t until I got clean that I realized there was more to life than just being a provider,” said Angle.

“I have grown to really have a real relationship and raise my children. There is a real difference between being a provider, and a father.  ” While he continues to wrestle with his recovery process every single day, he wanted to be able to help others who are in his position.

It wasn’t until Angle met with Dr. Harold Jonas, PhD, LMHC, CAP – the founder and CEO of Sober Network Inc., that both came together to create the program that Angle initially envisioned. Dr. Jonas helped bring to reality Anglestrong – a mobile application that is currently available for download on ITunes, or Google Apps. The app allows for people who are struggling with the day to day endeavors of recovery from addiction to receive the help they are seeking at the push of a button or perhaps a tap on a screen.

There are numerous features of the app that can help recovering addicts with options of check-ins to ensure the following of recovery protocol, reminders for appointments, forums for discussion with peers, support links to learn more information, a section to establish a profile and the key highlight – A monthly support video conference call with Kurt Angle himself. In essence, it’s a mini-social network specific to recovering addicts. It’s private, secure and confidential as well as GPS enabled, which Angle noted is extremely useful in cases of relapse.

According to Dr. Jonas the app would allow for those who seek the help to create “lifelines” for security. Those “lifelines” could be friends or family that would be available to check in with the patient. If the patient doesn’t check in at a particular time, then the app automatically alerts their “lifelines” to take appropriate action. Jonas expressed concern about the numerous times that patients are thrown back into their lives, putting their mindset back on the addictive behavior they know and are familiar with. Frequently, without support, the path often leads directly to death. With this program, former WWE superstar Kurt Angle and Dr. Jonas are seeking to provide a solution for successful recovery.

“I personally believe that when you’re clean and you show other how to live your life others will follow that. If you are taking drugs, the cycle continues.” added Angle.