Can Tech Tackle Alcoholism? With Mike Russell, Founder & CEO of Monument
The Most Important Thing
If you're looking to change your relationship with alcohol, you don't have to go it alone. Check out joinmonument.com for a safe and secure anonymous community, therapist-moderated support groups, affordable medical support, and more.
About Mike Russell
Mike Russell is the co-founder & CEO of Monument, an online treatment platform for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. Mike is a member of the founding teams of Paintzen (Acquired by PPG Industries), Bombas, Zipdrug, and MyClean, four New York City technology startups still operating today. Mike is also a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor and has dedicated much of his time towards raising money to help children with cancer.
About Monument
Monument is an online treatment platform for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol. Designed to support sobriety or moderation, Monument plans are personalized to members’ goals, lifestyles, and preferences. Plans include access to the Monument community, therapist-moderated support groups, and options for video therapy and physician-prescribed medication. We believe treatment should be affordable, accessible, and customizable, so a healthy relationship with alcohol is attainable by everyone. https://joinmonument.com/
Episode Overview:
In this episode, I sat down with Mike Russell, founder of Monument to discuss his journey towards building a technology company to help those who have challenges with alcohol.
We discussed Mike’s own experience with alcohol abuse, the impact it had on his life, and why it ultimately led him to start Monument.
Mike is a 2x entrepreneur and builder who sold his company PaintZen to PPG Industries in 2018. It’s great to see more entrepreneurs building technology specifically focused on improving our mental health and well being.
My Favorite Quotes:
“Every time I told myself I was only going to have 1 drink, I had a 100% failure rate”
“Some things that came up for me were anger management, & impulse control (I started online shopping).”
“Self-awareness is the most important thing. Until I became aware of it and understood it was happening, I couldn’t change it.”
“Stopping drinking alcohol is a monumental change.”
“Everyone’s journey and path (with alcoholism) is different and the more organizations can collaborate to help people, the better.”
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 – We talk about nightlife promotions
3:00 –Mike’s personal challenges with alcohol
7:00 – Why Monument?
17:30 – On success, happiness, and alcohol
19:00 – Warning signs that alcohol has become a problem
22:00 – What tools were the most helpful to Mike on his journey
30:00 – Practices Mike has implemented since he stopped drinking
33:00 – The additional challenges of alcoholism under quarantine
37:00 – Where the Monument name came from
41:00 – How Monument is perceived by other organizations
44:00 – What’s in store for the future of Monument?
Episode Links:
Mike’s Info
Mike’s Medium Post on Why He Started Monument
Monument Info
Other Resources & References
Al-Anon Family Groups
Marc’s Info:
Marc Weinstein, host of the Look Up! Podcast is a public speaker for corporations, universities, and conferences. Click here to view past talks and to book Marc
Look Up! Patreon Community
Look Up! Website
Marc's Instagram
Marc's Twitter
Look Up! On iTunes
Look Up! On Spotify
