We are on our phones all the time whether it is checking our emails, texting, video chatting, playing games, or checking our social media statuses. If we are on our phones a lot, we might as well use them to educate ourselves and find support while in recovery from drug addiction. Smartphone apps have the power to provide you with education, a peer group, resources, and to be able to track your progress so you can see for yourself how well you are doing.
There are a number of apps that you can download and take with you everywhere you go as you begin recovery. These apps will not cost you a cent and you may choose to remain anonymous. One example of an effective app would be Pear reSET which is the first mobile medicine app approved by the FDA. You must be over the age of 17 to use this app and are required to get a prescription from your clinician with a code. This app contains 61 therapy units with lessons on skill-building and quizzes on the material.
You can learn a lot of useful lessons that will help you towards your recovery like how to avoid triggers or learn how to refuse drug offers. Doctors also have the power to look at their patient’s dashboard to review their progress. You can receive encouraging feedback or gift cards if you do a good job and receive a negative on your drug tests. Pear Therapeutics conducts a 12 week randomized trial with 399 patients that proved that 40.3% of people felt their treatment outcomes were improved as well as higher chances of abstinence compared to the 17.6% who did not use the app.
Sober Grid is an online app that is like the social media site of addiction recovery similar to Facebook. You can create online profiles, interact with others, send and receive support, and engage in a variety of people going through the same things you are going through during your recovery. You can complete anonymous check-ins to let the app know whether or not you are sober as well as an update on your mood. There is also a GPS locator to help find other sober people nearby which can be especially useful if you are traveling and still wish to continue going to meetings. You also have the opportunity to fulfill daily questions such as reading daily inspiration passages or adding to your gratitude list. Those recovering from addiction can chat with others, send private messages, post pictures and videos, and can share interests with each other. There is also a sobriety calculator to track your days of being sober and finding a ride to meetings.
Sober Tool is an app that has daily motivational messages and target reminders. You get rewarded for reaching different milestones and can have estimated calculations on how much money you are saving from being sober. This app can teach you how to work through your triggers and avoiding relapse by answering questions. If you feel like you need to connect with more people struggling with the same problems you are struggling with during recovery, use the InCommon app to find a peer support group. When you click on “Get Help,” you can connect with peer networks. By clicking on “Giving Help,” you can bring joy and hope to others who need it. This app gives you the opportunity to share your stories anonymously and to invite your friends and family to be part of your support network. You can also earn badges that encourage your progress and will be able to track how you are doing.
Apps can also be a great tool to connect with Alcoholics Anonymous like downloading the AA Big Book. This app will give you the full text of the Big Book as well as helping you find meetings, listen to podcasts, find uplifting prayers, and be able to listen and share personal stories. You can also bookmark passages that mean something to you, take notes of the chapters that stand out, search words and write comments.
Because it can be overwhelming when you first enter recovery, there is always a possibility of relapsing when you engage in work, family, and financial stress. There are plenty of apps to help you mentally as well as you continue your addiction recovery journey. Tide app lets you listen to nature sounds to keep yourself focused, reduce stress, relax, and help you sleep better. There is a function where a timer is set for 25 minutes of listening to these peaceful sounds with five minute breaks in between. This app also has daily inspirational quotes and a diary that records your visual data. Stride can help you track your good or bad habits and be able to reach target goal whether the goal is daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. You can better notice when you have hit habit streaks, your success rate, and are given reminders to better motivate you towards your goal.
It is important to remember that these apps should not replace therapy, medication, rehab or any other forms of treatment. No app can replace the medical advice you receive from a doctor, therapist, or drug rehab specialists. These apps should be another helpful tool to use to help give you the strength and courage to continue on this journey towards sobriety and abstinence.
Located in Tacoma, Washington, Bayview Center’s mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat a number of substance abuse disorders along with anxiety and depression using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery. For more information, please call us 888 570 7154 at as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
