I guess you know you’ve made it when you start being trolled and hacked? At approximately 6 pm Pacific on Friday, February 11th, 2022 @thesobercurator Instagram account was hacked and I received two text messages on my personal cell phone number, which I use in part for The Sober Curator, demanding money in exchange for handing my account back over. At the time of the hack, we had approximately 7,500+ followers, an audience we’ve worked hard to engage with over the last 1.5 years, and over 1,450+ pieces of content. GONE. POOF. NOTHING.
High Profile Instagram Accounts Being Held For Ransom By Hackers
In my panicked frenzy of google searches, this article from SecurePoint was brought to my attention and is worth the read. I also noticed they were based in Oregon and there was an actual phone number I could call. I sure miss the olden days where you could flip open a ginormous phone book and actually get a real person on the phone.
Since it was after hours, I left a message. While they weren’t able to help me with my case, I do want to mention that they called me back within an hour. The gentleman on the phone was so nice and understanding and gave me some guidance on what to do next considering that hacking and ransom are both federal crimes.
I have filed reports with Instagram, the Police Department in Issaquah, WA where this business is licensed, and with the FBI Bureau of Seattle. That’s all I can do and now we wait.
And get this – this asshole had the audacity to turn on his silence notifications button because he didn’t want to be disturbed shortly after he messaged me. (I never responded to him btw) Hey jerk, I believe in karma. Yours is coming for you.
Oh the irony!
Those of you that aren’t content creators on Instagram may be wondering what the big deal is? It took over 1.5 years to get the 7,500+ followers because we don’t believe in paying for fake followers. Those 1,450+ pieces of content were created by over 25+ Sober Curators who all volunteer their time to curate and create content for the recovery community. I can’t even wrap my head around how many hours of work are just *POOF* and gone in an instant.
And the real sting to this hateful crime act? I just arrived in New York City today, traveling for the first time as press on behalf of The Sober Curator, to be joined by my follow sober friends and curators Kate Vitela, Katie Mack, Tawny Lara, and Pop Buchanan to meet each other in real life and attend the upcoming SOLD OUT Break Free Fashion event, an immersive runway experience of art, design, fashion, and social issues.
Those social issues that we are celebrating? People in recovery from addiction and mental illness. (Want to know more? Keep scrolling friend) We planned on posting and doing IG lives from the event on our @thesobercurator Instagram account. In fact, earlier this week in an email The Sober Curator was listed as notable press in attendance alongside Teen Vogue, Getty Images, and Elle Canada. That was a real moment that I won’t forget anytime soon.
So, what do we do? We FUCKING PIVOT.
For those of us that have been sober a while, we learned pretty early on the importance of mastering the art of the pivot. Just because we’re sober now, doesn’t mean that life is going to be without challenges. We still have problems, they just get classier. Learning to navigate curveballs in life sober takes practice, discipline, and a strong community to lean into.
In texting with my sponsor tonight to fill her in on what happened, I explained I was giving this one over to God, because it’s simply too big and heavy for me to carry. And as the text messages and DMs started flooding in, I knew I wasn’t going to have to carry this alone. There is NO better community than the recovery community. Because we’ve been taught to show up and be of service. That we have to give it away to keep it. And it works if we work it, every single time, so far in my 15+ years of trying one day at a time.
Since the chances of our IG @thesobercurator account being returned untarnished by Monday, February 14th, 2022, the date of the big show, is unlikely, we are asking you to follow along with us in two other places until further notice.
Good news! Our website is still intact (obviously, because you’re here right now), as are our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok accounts. (Naturally, they had NO interest in hacking the TikTok account) We also recently started a Patreon account for premium content that isn’t quite ready yet, but it’s on and you’re welcome to join and support us there too.
CUE MY SOBER LIFE THEME SONG:
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
I get knocked down, but I get up again
You are never gonna keep me down
Published Letter from our Founder, Alysse Bryson
WALK YOUR TALK: Follow along with Kate Vitela and all of her sober adventures interviewing the creators and influencers behind the scenes of this year’s Break Free Fashion Show, part of New York Fashion Week ’22.
SPEAK OUT! SPEAK LOUD! at The Sober Curator is a celebration of authentic voices in recovery—echoing Madonna’s call to “Express yourself!” Here, readers and contributors take the spotlight, sharing transformative sobriety journeys, creative talents, and new avenues of self-expression discovered along the way. Through videos, poems, art, essays, opinion pieces, and music, we break the silence that often surrounds addiction, replacing it with connection, hope, and inspiration.
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