Hello, my name is Mark Ransome, the owner, creator and website Administrator for this website "Special Trusted Friends" (STF for short!). I have struggled with alcohol addiction for many years and in 2013 I was admitted int the BAC O'Connor (Burton Addiction Centre) in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom for three months. While in there, at the end of every group we all used to stand around in a circle, hold hands and recite the "Serenity Prayer" beginning by saying "Special Trusted Friends". This was to signify and reinforce that the people in the group were special and trustworthy to each other.
When I came out of the BAC O'Connor in 2014 I wanted to do something to try and help others, so using my Web Development skills I bought the domain name "specialtrustedfriends.com". My idea was to create a safe and secure place, or community online where people with addiction and mental health problems could find and connect with other like-minded individuals and get support or give support to others but away from the mainstream social media networks (I don't have to mention any names there do I? I'm sure you know who I mean!), and so "Special Trusted Friends" was born!
As we say in the rooms "What's said in the room, stays in the room!", the same applies here, "What's said in the website, stays in the website!". This is a closed online community and you must be a member and logged-in to take part. You will also notice there are no "Social Sharing" buttons or links to those other mainstream social media networks apart from the Homepage, FAQs page, Other Resources page, Contact Us page and this page, these are the only pages you can share to help spread the word to others who may benefit and need support. This is to help protect those who are members and who take part in this website, to maintain confidentiality!
Special Trusted Friends is completely free to join and take part in (all you need is a valid email address which is not shown anywhere on the website except in your personal account, and you can be anonymous if you wish to protect your identity). We have many of the features you would expect from an online community with Friend Requests, upload Photos, Videos, and Music, Live Chat Rooms, and Private Messaging between friends. You can also read or post your own Blogs and also Forums for discussion which you can take part in plus much more!
I take your Personal Privacy very seriously! This website is fully GDPR compliant and none of your personal details will ever be shared with other 3rd parties. You can read the full Privacy Policy here.
All I ask is for members to be respectful, compassionate and non-judgmental to other members.
Thank you for taking the time to read this "About Us" page.
If you are already a member you can login here.
If you wish to sign-up you can do so here.
If you wish to contact me please go to our "Contact Us" page here. Or you can email me directly at mark@specialtrustedfriends.com.
Whether you are currently in addiction or in recovery, I sincerely hope you enjoy and benefit from this website STF!
Kind regards and stay safe,
Mark Ransome
Join the support social network for people with addiction & mental health issues & connect with like-minded people that share your problems.
Engage with like-minded people for support!