Haami: helping Iranians struggling with addiction
Haami is a mobile health application that aids Iranians struggling with addiction. Haami, which means ally, assists recovering addicts with dialing back compulsion and offers them buffers to protect them from riggers. The app offers a range of resources to recovering addicts including a tried and tested roadmap to sobriety through Narcotics Anonymous’ Basic Text, and other educational information. A section of the app is designated to support family, friends, and allies of recovering addicts.
Additionally, Haami offers an index of recovery centers in various Iranian cities and provinces. The app has a feature, called “I’m Not Ok,” for those who are experiencing an immediate urge to use. In this section, app users can find inspirational stories of people who have successfully been able to stay clean for many years.
According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, Iran has one of the gravest addiction crises. Health ministry officials in Iran estimate there are 2.2 million drug addicts in the country of 80 million, 2.75% of the population. However, doctors working with recovering addicts believe the actual figures are higher.
“Addiction has become a crippling epidemic in Iran,” explained Firuzeh Mahmoudi, executive director of United for Iran. “With over 2 million Iranians suffering from this disease, our hope is that Haami can provide a mobile support system for those recovering from addiction, providing the tools and help necessary to avoid relapse.”
“There is an immediate need to help change the culture of addiction in Iran,” explained Hossein Torkashvand Haami Project Lead “This app can be an “ally” readily accessible at the fingertips of millions of Iranians suffering from addiction or in the midst of recovery. It brings light to a taboo issue by allowing users the ability to connect with the necessary resources to maintain sobriety.”