On a cold Thanksgiving morning, Chris Thompson found himself waking up on a sidewalk for the fourth day in a row, believing he had hit rock bottom. Little did he know, this moment would spark an extraordinary transformation, not just for him but for hundreds of thousands battling addiction. While struggling to stay sober in a halfway house, Chris realized that his substance use was an attempt to solve deeper issues like trauma and depression. Determined to help others avoid the same pain, Chris envisioned a platform that could harness the power of human connection. From a borrowed laptop, he launched Sober Sidekick in 2019 with a simple goal: to keep people committed to their recovery journey through a gamified, supportive experience. His approach was revolutionary—putting user needs first over quick profits, a decision so profound it later became the subject of a Harvard case study. Sober Sidekick is helping reduce relapse rates and utilizing predictive technology to prevent potential relapses. Every feature and algorithm reflects hard-earned insights from Chris’s own journey through addiction, focusing on addressing the root causes of substance use with peer support and empathy. Chris’s story shows that with innovation, compassion, and unwavering dedication, one person can truly make a difference.