INDIANAPOLIS — Although thousands of people in Indianapolis now communicate on the Nextdoor app, it's become a lifeline for Robin McClure.
Robin McClure is a recovering drug addict who has been clean for the past eight months. Her neighbors — and those who keep up on Nextdoor — all know it, too.
"I never imagined getting the feedback I have," McClure said.
McClure is an open book when it comes to her road to recovery after drug addiction. On the app, she shares her struggles and more importantly, her victories. She has narrowed life down from taking it one day at a time to taking it one moment at a time.
"I want to inspire people to keep going. Life is not over," McClure said.
That's because in the past, her drug addiction cost her everything — including custody of her children. What's even worse is she lost their father to an overdose.
He, like McClure, had also gone public on Nextdoor about his addiction before drugs took his life.
"He had posted on there that he was depressed, and a lot of the neighbors responded to him, but he didn't respond back," McClure said.
But responding back is now a way of life for Robin and a regular part of her recovery.
The responses she gets include everything from simple encouragement, to fellow recovering addicts, to strangers who have had family members fighting the same battles.
McClure's life is back on track. She's been clean for eight months. More importantly, she has been brave enough to get help by doing things like attending group sessions as part of her treatment.
"They say when you get sober, life is good," McClure said. "Life has thrown me some curveballs, but because I am sober, I have been able to handle them."
McClure now works full time. She's reunited with her children, and she's getting help buying their father a headstone for his grave at the cemetery. She even shared that on Nextdoor and received donations to make it happen sooner rather than later.
She had no idea she would get the support she is getting just by posting on Nextdoor. In many cases, her responses reach close to 300 people in a matter of minutes, and in some cases more than 1,000 users send her messages of encouragement.
Some of her biggest accomplishments in her journey so far have been earning her GED, getting her driver's license and buying a car.
"I let them know about every little thing," McClure said. She told 13News that having people in her corner inspires her, as she inspires others.
"People are really rooting for me," she said. "They know my story. They are like, 'What's next?'"