Howie AI launches recovery platform for rehab leavers

Martin 'Howie' Atkin has launched Howie AI and its Footsteps2Freedom recovery support platform. The business grew out of work he developed while studying artificial intelligence with West Midlands training provider iMeta Training.

Previously a co-founder of a virtual and augmented reality business, Atkin said the new platform is aimed at people leaving rehabilitation and the organisations that support them. Footsteps2Freedom includes a companion app for people in recovery, alongside case management and analytics tools for service providers.

His own experience of addiction and recovery shaped the product. He said he saw a gap in support after leaving rehab and wanted to build a tool that could provide more consistent help outside formal treatment settings.

"When I came out of rehab, everyone assumes you're fixed. I got back to my old flat with no support around me whatsoever. I knew the statistic that around 80 per cent of people relapse within a year of leaving rehab and wanted to do something about that. Of the 20 people I was in rehab with, just four of us are still sober a year later. That's what this is trying to change.

"Everything I learned in rehab, and everything I've learned since working in recovery, you can now have in your pocket - something that catches you when you fall and doesn't judge you in any way," said Martin 'Howie' Atkin, Founder, Howie AI.

The system is designed to give recovery organisations a real-time view of client risk, automate case management and track social return on investment. Atkin said this could help smaller providers show commissioners measurable evidence of their work.

Many recovery organisations manage large numbers of people in active addiction with limited staffing. The companion app offers round-the-clock support in 18 languages, guided therapy tools and an AI counsellor, with controls intended to match support to a user's stage of recovery.

From Course To Company

Atkin said the business took shape while he was completing a 13-week part-time artificial intelligence course at iMeta Training. He used the skills from the programme to develop Footsteps2Freedom as his final project.

Since completing rehab, he has also volunteered with SUIT, the Service User Involvement Team, in Wolverhampton, a lived-experience recovery organisation. Through that work, and drawing on his background in business development, he said he saw services managing complex caseloads without up-to-date digital tools.

The company has also appointed a Chief Technology Officer, described as a veteran of the technology sector, to continue developing the platform. It is now seeking funding for two pilot schemes, one in Portsmouth and another in Wolverhampton, and is looking for an academic research partner to assess the system independently and contribute to research into artificial intelligence in addiction recovery.

Clinical security accreditation is also part of the route to wider deployment, signalling an intention to position the platform for use by organisations handling sensitive personal and health-related information.

Mohammed Zur, Chief Executive Officer of iMeta Training, said Atkin's project stood out during the course. The training provider offers programmes aimed at non-technical professionals, covering generative AI tools, prompt engineering, automation, responsible AI use and business-focused case studies.

"What Howie has built is incredible and his story is an inspiration to everyone at iMeta. We're proud to have played a small part in his journey and wish him every success," said Mohammed Zur, Chief Executive Officer, iMeta Training.

Atkin said the course gave him both the technical grounding and the confidence to move forward with the business.

"iMeta gave me the building blocks to understand what AI could actually do. Without the course, none of this would have happened - not the business, not the partnership, not the fundraising. It gave me the confidence to back myself," said Atkin.