How Crosstalk works
Crosstalk does one thing: it makes supportive calls happen. You pick a time that works for you. When that time comes, we call you, and we call other members who picked the same time. Answer, and you're guaranteed to speak with a supportive peer. No dialing, no phone tag, no hurt feelings.
What using it actually looks like
Say you choose 7 p.m., because evenings are when the house gets quiet and the day starts to feel heavy. At 7, your phone rings. Any phone works: most members use the Crosstalk app, where a call can be video when both people choose it, and it works just as well as a regular call on a smartphone, a flip phone, even a landline.
You answer. Within a few seconds, you're connected one-on-one with another member who also chose 7 p.m. and also answered. You're each introduced by the name or nickname you chose when you joined. Neither of you sees the other's phone number. Neither of you had to dial, decide whom to call, or wonder whether you'd be interrupting. You just talk, the way people do. And the match isn't random: Crosstalk favors people who share one of your groups, leans on the wisdom of sponsorship by connecting newcomers with people further along, and learns from your feedback who you click with.
The schedule is yours: tomorrow at 7 again, a different time on weekends, or only the days you choose. Some conversations are five minutes. Some go long. Over time, familiar voices come back, and if you both choose, you can stay connected on purpose. The calls are the front door. What they build is the point: people who know your voice and notice when it's missing.
And answering cuts both ways. Every time you answer, someone else's call got answered. Being on the other end of the line is an act of service, every call is you showing up for someone too. Some members make that their whole reason for being here: people with years of recovery stay available so a newcomer always reaches someone, and younger volunteers keep a regular call with an isolated older adult or disabled member. They say the best way to help yourself is to help others. If you'd like to be one of them, reach out.
The rules of every call
- You choose your name. Other members hear the name or nickname you pick; in recovery, many people go by a first name and last initial. Your phone number is never shown to the people you talk with; calls are bridged through our system so neither person sees the other's number unless you choose to share it.
- We don't record conversations. And your information is not for sale, to anyone, ever. There are no ads.
- You're always in control. Anyone can block anyone, instantly, no questions asked. Texting STOP ends everything, from the very first message.
- Nothing to keep up. Missing a call costs you nothing and is nobody's business. We count connection, never compliance.
The parts you'd never notice
Most of the care in Crosstalk went into moments you'll hopefully never see, because the cruelest thing a system like this could do is let a lonely person answer and then leave them hanging.
- Backup callers stand behind every window. If you're the only person who answers at your time, the system brings in a backup caller, a volunteer from the Crosstalk community. The backup-caller system is how we guarantee that answering means talking with someone. Our founder has been that backup caller since the beginning.
- If a match falls through, we re-pair you. When a call ends early or someone drops off, the system works to reconnect the person still on the line rather than hanging up on them.
- We don't clutter your voicemail. If you don't answer, the call hangs up quickly instead of leaving messages behind. Missing a call is meant to be weightless.
- Help with the words. Not everyone is good at small talk. Short guides in the app cover the art of a great call, so the conversation is easier to start.
- Thoughtful pairing. In recovery communities, the system leans toward connecting newcomers with members who have more time in recovery, the same instinct behind sponsorship: conversations where experience is shared are the ones that help most. It also favors people who share one of your groups, learns from your feedback, and mixes familiar voices with new ones.
Circles: keeping the people you started with
People rarely recover, or grow old, alone. They do it in groups: the people you left treatment with, the regulars at a meeting, the club that gathers every Friday. Those groups hold real affection, and they still fall apart, because keeping a group connected is unpaid, invisible work. Someone has to find the time, send the reminders, and make the calls, and when that one person burns out or moves on, the group goes quiet.
Nowhere does this matter more than after inpatient treatment. People leave rehab having spent a month living day and night beside a dozen people who understand them better than anyone, their best support network for the hardest stretch ahead, and then lose them to logistics within a few months.
Crosstalk takes over that work, the time-finding, the reminders, the calling. A group can have its own circle on Crosstalk: the system rings the whole group into its regular voice or video call together, no links to click and no codes to dial, and can split larger groups into smaller rooms, with a host when the group wants one. Between gatherings, one-on-one pairings within the circle and a group chat for text, photo, voice, and video messages keep the thread alive, without depending on any single volunteer to hold it all together. Your people, without the logistics.
What Crosstalk is not
- Not a crisis line. Crosstalk is everyday peer support, not crisis care. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Not a meeting, a sponsor, or treatment. Crosstalk augments the rest of recovery. It isn't affiliated with AA or any fellowship, and it doesn't replace the programs, clinicians, or communities that people rely on. It exists to make one proven practice easier: talking with peers, regularly.
- Not surveillance. Your individual activity is not reported to treatment facilities or staff. If you want someone in your corner to see that you're participating, you can name a trusted contact; that choice is yours, and yours to change. If anyone notices you've been missed, it's your own people, because they care, not because a system flagged you.
- Not a shortcut. Crosstalk removes the dialing, the scheduling, and the phone tag. It doesn't remove the conversation, the honesty, or the work of showing up. That part is still yours, which is exactly why it counts.
Who's behind it
Crosstalk was created for and by people in recovery, and it's operated by Crosstalk Connections, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it can stay free for the people who use it. The calling system is patented, but the idea is old: don't white-knuckle it alone, talk to somebody. You can read the story behind it on our About page.
Who can join, and what happens next
Crosstalk is for adults. Most people use the Crosstalk app for voice or video calls, and the whole thing also works over ordinary phone calls, even a landline, so there is nothing to install for anyone who just wants a phone that rings. We are welcoming our first members now, working with recovery groups, treatment programs, and community organizations, and individuals are welcome to reach out directly.
When you send us a note, a real person reads it and replies. We'll answer your questions, help you pick call times that fit your life, and get you set up. You can change your times, pause, or stop entirely whenever you want.
Try it, or bring it to your people
Crosstalk is free. If you'd like to use it, if you want to bring it to your recovery group or organization, or if you're just curious, reach out.