Rule 62 –

Sep. 23, 2020 – These memes often pull from the language of 12-step-based programs, incorporating experiences and vocabulary known only to members of that community. 

“In AA we talk about finding a fellowship,” Mr. Kavanagh said. “That’s a big part of being a healthy person in general, having people around you that just get you. When I stumbled into the recovery meme community it was like, ‘These are my people.’”

Amy, 25 (who is being identified by her first name only to protect her anonymity), posted on the @dankrecovery Facebook page three years ago asking for help. 

“I’m a millennial so I love memes,” she said in a phone interview. While in rehab she met another person who had been guided there by the @dankrecovery account, she said. “What are the odds? That something created as a joke could end up helping a lot of people.” She has now been sober for two years. The power of memes is that you can, in a very simple way, express something universal that resonates with people,” said Lauren, an opera singer in training and former heroin addict, who started @brutalrecovery in 2018. Lauren said that the best memes come from a place of vulnerability: “We need to remember that on the inside of this is trauma, addiction and pain.”

more@NYTimes