Taylor Swift is now helping Swifties get rid of this, bringing together fans with drug and alcohol abuse issues to heal through her music.
Quick stepsa virtual support group for Swifties struggling with addiction, was founded in January of this year and has already grown to a group of 740 people on Facebook.
The group meets virtually four times a week to continue their recovery journey together.
Swift Steps founder Julianne Griffin told the Philadelphia researcher which uses a mix of Swift’s music, story, and guest speakers to fuel the difficult conversations those in recovery must sometimes have.
Julianne Griffin (left) and Emily Bee (right) run Swift Steps, an online community for Swifties in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse issues.
The group was founded on the premise that some young adults are seeking a less critical recovery program than the traditional 12-step.
Griffin is also the founder of Blank Space Recovery, a mentoring service for people in recovery through which Swift Steps is hosted. She became a certified peer specialist after recovering from opioid and benzodiazepine addiction nearly a decade ago.
Her friend Emily Bee, who is not in recovery but lost a sister to addiction at a young age, helps run the community.
Griffin says the group’s goal is to foster an addiction recovery community “where everyone is accepted.”
That nonjudgmental vibe is exactly what members appreciate about the group, and according to the Inquirer, medical professionals see the group as a helpful addition to the standard 12-step program.
Groups like Swift Steps can be especially helpful for those who don’t necessarily embrace the religiosity or rigidity of more conventional 12 Step programs.
For Griffin, that kind of space became a necessity when she stopped attending 12-step meetings after being told that her MAT treatment plan meant she wasn’t completely sober.
MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) is the use of medications, in addition to therapy, to treat substance abuse disorders.
Eric Zillmer, director of the Happiness Lab at Drexel University, calls Swift Steps “brilliant.”
“People with substance use disorder can feel alone… so creating a platform where people feel comfortable sharing under a cultural phenomenon driven by authenticity is fantastic,” she said.
‘Swift is so culturally irresistible, but also surprisingly authentic and very positive. “She communicates a message of hope,” she added of Swift’s overall place in the culture.
Griffin and Bee agree, but Griffin adds that the group members are “following Taylor’s lead” precisely because “she’s not afraid to get dirty.”
Those who recover from addiction “have regrets,” he says, “and that’s okay.” We can turn them into something better.’
The group, which meets virtually four times a week, has grown from zero to nearly 750 members in the span of four months.
Members in recovery talk about Taylor’s music and story, as well as hear from guest speakers and have more difficult conversations about recovery.
Griffin hopes Swift Steps will become his full-time job sooner rather than later. Currently, he works in finance and sells Etsy products to offset the group’s costs.
Swift’s cultural relevance has never been more tangible—as her fans grow up with her and encounter adult issues like addiction, they are finding ways to move forward with her through life.
Swift’s cultural relevance has never been more tangible—as her fans grow up with her and encounter adult issues, like addiction, they are finding ways to move forward with her in life.
Swift Steps is a great example of communities of adults in their 20s, 30s, and probably even 40s who are uniting around real-world issues through their product.
And the artist does not stop.
Their latest offering, The Tortured Poets Department, was an immediate hit with consumers. It sold about 1.4 million copies on the Friday of its release and was streamed on Spotify more than 300 million times in a single day.
The album’s first single, Fortnight, featuring Post Malone, also broke several records.
On Sunday, Billboard announced that Swift’s album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking her 14th No. 1 album, giving her a tie for most No. 1 albums among solo artists. TTPD also received the most streams in a week for an album.
