What Are the Top Sobriety Apps For Those in Recovery?
If you’re currently in substance treatment, it’s important to know about the top sobriety apps for those in recovery.
That’s also true if you’ve completed your primary treatment.
On a daily basis, sobriety apps connect you to important resources that support your recovery efforts.
And in moments of crisis, they may make all the difference between a relapse and your ability to maintain abstinence.
In today’s connected world, essentially anyone can put sobriety apps on the market.
The producers of an app may have a detailed understanding of substance recovery.
However, they may have no relevant experience whatsoever.
With so many apps available, how can you separate the gems from the lemons?
The verified suggestions in this brief guide will point you to the most trustworthy options currently available.
Basics of Sobriety Apps
Sobriety apps make full use of today’s computer and smartphone technology. This technology allows you to communicate instantly with people across the world. It also makes it possible to design custom applications, or apps, intended for specific, targeted use.
Almost everyone is familiar with the apps used to stream music or make personal posts. However, much less well-known are the apps used for primary substance treatment and addiction aftercare.
Primary treatment is the care you receive when you first enter your rehab program.
Aftercare takes place after you’ve completed your primary rehab. It provides you with continued support for your long-term recovery. For this reason, it’s also referred to as continuing care. Generally, addiction aftercare programs are not as intense as your primary care. Some of them take place onsite in a drug or alcohol rehab facility.
However, with the rise of modern smartphones, you can also participate remotely. That’s where sobriety apps come in. Smartphone sobriety apps are not meant to replace primary substance treatment.
Instead, they do one of two things:
- Work alongside your primary treatment
- Provide easier access to help for long-term relapse prevention
To be effective, sobriety apps must be based on solid, research-based principles. This means that not just anyone can make a useful app. It takes experience, expertise, and access to current research sources.
But who decides if a given sobriety app meets these high standards for quality? One trusted app developer and reviewer is the National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA. This federal agency specializes in all topics related to drug abuse and addiction.
A second trusted federal source is the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, or NIAAA. This agency specializes in all topics related to alcohol abuse and addiction.
A third federal source is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. SAMHSA specializes in topics related to both substance problems and mental illness.
NIDA’s Top Sobriety Apps For Those in Recovery
NIDA has helped develop two different apps that support your sobriety. These apps, reSET and reSET-O are made by the same company. They both serve as tools for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT. You may be familiar with this form of therapy from your time in primary treatment. Its aim is to help develop ways of thinking and acting that promote abstinence from substance abuse.
ReSET is designed to help those affected by all forms of substance use disorder. ReSET-O is specifically for people with opioid use disorder. Both apps provide a series of CBT-based lessons. Your therapist assesses your progress and provides feedback.
NIDA supports research for other tools that have not yet been released.
NIAAA’s Top Sobriety Apps For Those in Recovery
NIAAA has also helped develop two sobriety apps for use during recovery.
The first of these tools, A-CHESS, is designed to help prevent alcohol relapse. Specifically, it uses an interactive approach to help:
• Stay motivated in the quest for long-term abstinence
• Develop strategies to stick to sobriety commitment
• Learn how to make wise decisions in high-stress situations
A-CHESS also helps you stay connected to important addiction relapse prevention resources.
The second NIAAA-supported tool, CBT4CBT, is not strictly an app. However, you can access it on your smartphone. Like reSET and reSET-O, CBT4CBT is used to provide remote Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The program is broken down into seven brief and interactive lessons. You are able to access these lessons whenever you have the time.
There are two separate versions of the CBT4CBT program. One version is intended for anyone with a substance use disorder. The other focuses specifically on people with alcohol use disorder.
SAMHSA’s Top Sobriety Apps For Those in Recovery
SAMHSA maintains a list of high-quality options for remote recovery support.
One of those options is an organization called SMART Recovery. SMART Recovery’s work serves as the basis for an alcohol sobriety app called Overcoming Addictions, or OA.
OA relies on four recovery principles:
- Getting motivated and staying motivated during recovery
- Dealing effectively with your alcohol cravings
- Learning how to manage your behavior, as well as your thoughts and emotions
- Approaching daily life from a balanced perspective
People who use OA have an easier time remaining alcohol-free. In addition, they suffer from fewer overall drinking-related issues. When people using the app relapse, they consume less alcohol than average. There are also modules in OA for people recovering from problems with:
- Stimulants
- Opioids
- Marijuana
Other Options for Online Sobriety Support
Sobriety apps are not the only remote recovery tools available to you. Many of the most well-known self-help groups maintain a strong online presence.
Examples you may recognize include:
- Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA
- Narcotics Anonymous, or NA
- Marijuana Anonymous
- Cocaine Anonymous
Sites from these and other trusted providers offer a variety of sobriety resources, including message boards and interactive chatrooms.
Learn More About the Top Sobriety Apps For Those in Recovery
In the best of circumstances, staying sober can be a day-to-day challenge.
That’s true no matter the substance you’re struggling with.
It’s also true whether you’re currently in treatment or have been substance-free for years.
To meet that challenge, you should rely on every reliable resource you find.
Today, smartphone apps are clearly emerging as valuable recovery tools.
Even when you feel isolated and alone, these apps help provide a lifeline for effective support.
With their help, you may very well find it easier to keep your recovery on an even keel.
Two federal agencies, NIDA and NIAAA, are actively involved in developing sobriety apps.
A third agency, SAMHSA, also recommends online sobriety resources.
You can rely on all three of these organizations for the top sobriety apps for those in recovery.
You can also seek out online self-help groups.
Most major groups, including AA and NA, maintain a strong Internet footprint.
Want to learn more about the top sobriety apps for those in recovery?
Contact the addiction specialists at BriteLife Recovery today.
We’ll help you sort out your options and pick an app that’s right for you.
In addition, we offer timely sobriety tips.
BriteLife Recovery is also a top provider of primary rehab and aftercare throughout the Southeast and those looking for the perfect destination to start their paths to recovery.
We feature the most up-to-date treatment options in our customized recovery plans.