Thank you, Google. Whether you are a person that identifies with the 12-step community or not, this commercial is a Gold Medal WIN 🥇 for the recovery community at large. Thank you @google for acknowledging how many new people are exploring their relationships with alcohol and substance use disorders … starting over from scratch. Thank you for positioning recovery in a way that it’s just as normal as starting to date again, working out, and vacationing. Starting from scratch sounds much better than hitting rock bottom, overdosing, losing a job, or getting a DUI.
Why is this Important?
Headlines and the CDC reported 2020 was the deadliest year on record for drug overdoses. For ages, diseases like cirrhosis of the liver have been associated with older men—but that’s changing quickly. There’s another demographic that’s been seeing a massive spike in liver disease, especially during the pandemic: Women. With the global pandemic not quite in the rearview mirror, there is also bountiful evidence that shows we are in the middle of a mental health crisis, unlike anything we have seen before.
Guess what? I’m not the only one talking about this commercial. Below is my friend Michelle Smith, Founder of Recovery is the New Black. Take a look at what she had to say about this Google commercial…
Michelle’s Social Media Post –
“Show of hands if you saw the commercial from Google at the opening ceremony of the Olympics? 
At the:37 mark my heart smiled. 
This has been the first commercial:
I felt heard.
I felt seen.
I felt included.
I felt it all.
This is what sobriety teaches us. To feel it all. The good, bad, and the messy. Because without feeling, there will never be true healing.
Thank you Google
Let’s go – USA 
This is so much more than just a commercial. It’s an endorsement that we are a community to be recognized. Now, more than ever, there is a movement growing surrounding addiction, recovery, and mental health. People everywhere are joining forces to help smash the stigma of addiction. It’s happening in the recovery communities across the country and around the world. Guess what? This isn’t just a phenomenon on Google. It’s happening on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Clubhouse, and YouTube. And it is not slowing down. Need more proof? According to Google, 52% of adults in the US are trying to drink less, while 30% don’t drink at all. (You know that’s how they know exactly what people are searching for, thus giving them exactly what to put in their commercials, right? 🙃)
The World is Watching
I’ve been in media my entire adult career and working for KING 5 NBC in Seattle, WA for the last five. I am very familiar with how advertising campaigns come together. Without a doubt, the creative agency that worked on this spot has been perfecting it for months. This commercial aired on August 23rd, 2021 during the opening ceremonies of the #2020ne @olympics. This wasn’t an accident or a coincidence on when this long-form commercial aired. It was intentional. Yes, it was probably expensive. Advertising in the Olympics isn’t really that different than advertising during the Superbowl – all eyes are watching.
This is a statement to the world. It is one of hope. As a member of the recovery community that has largely been in hiding or anonymous, it feels so good to be recognized. This is a shining example of how we can normalize addiction. Normalizing recovery doesn’t make it any easier…well, except for those of us that are afflicted. I feel shitty enough for all of the terrible things I did (and that happened to me) when I was using, I really don’t want to be embarrassed by my efforts to turn my life around. Especially since there is no way to do it perfectly. Although I’ve been sober since 2006, it’s only really been in the last year that I’ve gotten incredibly public with my recovery journey in social places and digital spaces. Curious about what I’ve been up to? Google me. 😍
Throwback to last winter – Tropicana Hides Mimosas in Secret Fridges to Give Busy Parents a Break and The Sober Community Loses Their S#$T!!! (See we don’t always write about the things we love. But, we do try to look at the world as glass-half-full. There’s just no booze in that glass! #becausedrunkneverlooksgood
Sometimes life gets really shitty. Resources are available. Please use them if you need them.
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.