Google has a new addiction recovery website. Interestingly, it is said to be even more useful than the traditional Google search for locating addiction resources.
The new website, called "Recovery Together" collects resources for addiction recovery across the United States. The site, which incorporates a Google Maps-based search that users can use to look for important resources such as support meetings and pharmacies that sell Naloxone even without a prescription, is said to be a breakthrough.
Naloxone is a drug that can effectively counteract the effects of opioid overdoses, and having a site that points people who need it to the right direction is priceless. The new site will be placed under the search bar on Google's home page for easy access. According to the company, this new launch is the result of a partnership with the Recovery Resource Hub.
The site is said to be promising. When it comes to rehab resources where credible ones are far and between, having a site dedicated to providing vetted, legitimate materials are of great value indeed. Moreover, scams are rampant, designed to attract vulnerable people dealing with addiction.
Google knows fully well how problematic these scams are. In 2018, rampant scams were found in Google's search results, forcing the company to carry out an investigation and a crackdown on these. The company banned many rehab ads as a result. Those that were found legitimate were allowed back onto the Google homepage starting on April 2018.
One more positive thing about the new site is that it will not feature ads. Instead, Recovery Together will only offer basic information on recovery, treatment, and prevention of addiction. Most of these basic information will have links to credible resources that users can access to aid them in their individual situations.
In the past, Google has traditionally refused to have anything on its homepage apart from the logo, the search box, and a few buttons. This has changed through the years out of necessity, but a homepage promotion is not that usual. It is so rare, so it is immediately noticeable. This is good news for the Recovery Resources Hub, to be given such a priority.
The new site will appear below the search box and will be launched in celebration of the annual National Recovery Month.
According to The Verge, the new site works even better than conducting searches on the main Google site. Keying in the word "rehab" on this new site compared to the traditional on yields better results. The search results on the main Google site is often crowded first with several ads before the user can even see any credible link that will be of help to them.
