To maintain sobriety and monitor progress after detox, more and more people are now using apps for recovery.
Indiana ranks 34th in the nation for drug deaths with 17.9 deaths from opioid abuse per 100,000 people. Today, people recovering from alcohol or substance use disorder need as much emotional support as possible.
If you or a loved one are trying to stay free of drugs or alcohol, you might be finding this especially challenging with social distancing rules in place.
To stay fully focused on your recovery, stick to a healthy routine as much as possible. Eat whole foods, minimize processed foods, take regular exercise, practice mindfulness, and attend meetings even if these are currently taking place online.
How about those times in between, though?
What about when boredom sets in?
Sometimes, life events can trigger a low mood. This can be all it takes to relapse.
Technology today has advanced so much that we can now use it to support those who are struggling to stay clear of drugs or alcohol.
There are now a variety of apps that anyone in recovery can download to access support from others in the same situation. This can be a powerful way of strengthening their resolve to stay clean.
Today, we’ll outline the 5 best apps we feel are the most effective at helping people in recovery stay motivated and focused on avoiding emotional and physical relapse.
Let’s get right down to business!
5 Best Apps For Recovery
- Sober Grid App
- Squirrel Recovery
- AA 12 Step App
- SoberTool
- Pear reSET
1) Sober Grid App
Most recovery apps just help you to track and monitor your daily progress, but this app offers a different layer of help.
Sober Grid is a new social media network that connects people who are struggling with cravings to certified peer coaches and others experiencing similar difficulties.
Available for both Android and Apple users, the app connects people in recovery worldwide 24/7.
The app is proving to be a valuable resource for people who might be at risk of relapsing emotionally. When times get tough, users can log on and instantly benefit from valuable emotional support from others.
To be certified to work as a peer coach, candidates must have maintained sobriety for an extended period. Certified peer coaches undergo training so they can offer the most appropriate support.
You can access support and download the app immediately here.
2) Squirrel Recovery
The Squirrel Recovery smartphone app was developed by Brad Lander, a psychologist and clinical director of addiction medicine at Ohio State University in a bid to combat the escalating opioid crisis.
The idea was inspired by an intern at the University who was horrified to witness the effects of the opioid crisis in her hometown.
The smartphone app is centered on the people most essential to a person’s recovery from addiction – friends, family, and addiction counselors.
The app keeps the person in recovery connected to 10 key people who support them and will hold them accountable in times of stress.
The app performs a monitoring function, too. It tracks the recovering person’s moods and tracks the times when they are most likely to relapse.
When the app detects a potential relapse, it sends a notification to contacts on the list and prompts them to provide support when they most need it.
For emergency situations, the person in recovery can press an emergency button which sends an SOS with the message, “Urgent! I need help now.”
3) AA 12 Step App
Many find the AA 12 Step app invaluable for managing alcohol cravings. They can access the same type of support that they do from meetings without having to travel.
The AA 12 Step app is rich with features that complement the 12 Step program such as:
- Sobriety calendar to chart the number of days of sobriety
- Moral inventory tool so you can work on different inventories like fear or resentment
- Journal tool where you can record your thoughts and reflect on them
- Gratitude list tool with a function so you can share your inspirational gratitude list with others in recovery across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
- The ability to connect with your sponsor or sponsee
- Various prayers and readings to help inspire and motivate you on your path of recovery.
4) SoberTool
SoberTool is another sobriety-tracking app developed by researchers at Ohio University to provide relapse prevention support.
The SoberTool app features a sobriety counter which automatically tallies your clean days as well as the money you have saved. This can be a great motivator.
Daily messages and notifications to promote recovery help the user to maintain focused on staying clean.
The app also features a journaling section and a game to distract yourself from uncomfortable cravings.
A cool feature of this app is the ability you have to input the emotions you’re feeling when times get tough. The search engine then throws up answers that help you to better understand those emotions and avoid emotional relapse.
The app tailors its responses to you. Whatever you are feeling, the app will return readings and questions designed to bring your awareness lurching into the present moment.
SoberTool is appropriate for addictions of any sort including
- Alcohol
- Cocaine
- Crystal meth
- Food
- Gambling
- Heroin
- Internet
- Marijuana
- Sex
- Social media
- Spending
You can download and start using the app right here.
5) Pear reSET
The reSET app by Pear Technology is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to guide addiction outpatients through lessons on recovery from opioids and alcohol.
The app is a digital recovery app available to anyone in recovery who has a prescription but who is not receiving opioid replacement therapy.
The reSET program is a 12-week course that teaches people suffering from addiction to learn about their emotions and triggers so they can formulate superior strategies to deal with cravings.
To be eligible, users must be on an outpatient program or be under the direct supervision of a clinician. The reSET app is not an emergency app, but more of an educational therapy tool.
The app is available for download here, but you’ll need an access code issued by your outpatient treatment program to use it.
What To Do Next
We hope this curated list of the best recovery apps has given you some inspiration if you’re finding things harder than ever during the ongoing lockdown and social distancing in place.
If you need help with any element of your recovery, call us at Landmark Recovery today at 888-448-0302 and one of our expert team will be happy to help out. Stay strong!
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