Apps that can help you when you relapse

DEALING with addiction – whether it be with alcohol, drugs, smoking, or self-harm – is never an easy thing, and it’s perfectly normal to relapse from time to time, as well as to need help from others. 

Thanks to how much technology has progressed, there are now many applications that you can download on your phone that are geared toward helping you achieve sobriety. These apps offer different functions such as connecting you with people going through similar experiences, offering you healthy alternatives to your addictions, or simply allowing you to track your progress thus far. 

If you’re looking for an app to help you when you’re going through tough times, here are some with varying uses that you might want to consider downloading.

1. For tracking your progress: I Am Sober

Described on their website as the number one sobriety tracking app, I Am Sober helps you track your progress by showing you the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds, since you’ve last indulged in your addiction. 

You first choose what bad habit you’re breaking, and then write down reasons as to why you’re staying sober, such as wanting to make your family proud, or wanting to be healthier. You will see these reasons each time you scroll down from the timer. 

It also features daily pledges, wherein you can discuss how you felt throughout the day. You can also reset your timer any time you’ve relapsed. 

What’s great about I Am Sober is it also has a feature wherein you can see posts of different people struggling with the same addiction. You can feel that you are not alone in what you are going through, rant about how you’re feeling, or offer support to others talking about their feelings on the app.

Through I am Sober, you can also track how much you’ve been able to save after quitting your addiction. This will show both your current savings as well as your projected savings per year and per month, respectively.

2. For getting help: Sober Sidekick

If you need someone to talk to, Sober Sidekick reassures that you’ll always have someone by your side. 

Aside from having a sobriety counter and giving daily motivations, as well as a community of people sharing their experiences with you and offering you support, Sober Sidekick also has a chat box wherein you can discuss your troubles at any time of day. 

It also has two live meetings that you can join at any time, labeled “24/7 AA Meeting” and “24/7 NA Meeting,” respectively. 

Here, users from all over the world join one Zoom meeting where they can talk to others about their troubles, as well as listen to what others are going through and give them advice about what they’re going through.

This is a great app if you don’t feel comfortable telling those in your life about what you’re going through, but are still in need of a support system in dealing with your addictions.

3. For inspiration: I am – Daily affirmations

Other apps like Sober Sidekick offer daily motivational messages to help you through your journey, but if you’re looking for an app specifically dedicated to giving you daily positive affirmations personalized to your needs, you can use I am – Daily affirmations.

Through this app, you can add themes, reminders, and widgets to your phone to help you build up your self-confidence, focus on self-love, and manifest your desires. It reminds you that you are a beautiful person inside and out, that you are enough, alongside many other uplifting messages.

You also get to choose how many affirmations you get, as well as when you get them and what kind of affirmations you can receive. You can also use it to focus on positive messages instead of constantly checking for notifications on social media.

The developers of the app have explained in the past that many therapists have explained that self-affirmation helps to increase certain neural pathways, and also rewires people’s brains, builds self-esteem, and changes negative thought patterns.

If you aren’t looking for a tracker and simply want an app that’ll give you positive messages from time to time, I am is a great place to start.

4. For meditation: The Mindfulness Meditation

If you want something to help you strengthen your mind, try focusing on meditation, starting with The Mindfulness Meditation app. This app was designed to help you learn meditation and yoga, and it also offers help in sleeping better.

For better sleep, the app states that it offers the largest sleep library with live sessions available, wherein you can listen to different sounds or to sleep stories that offer motivation and advice as you doze off. 

They also have hundreds of coaches and therapists available for yoga, meditation, life coaching, breathing exercises, and more. You can also track your progress, such as the number of sessions you take for yoga or meditation.

Take note, however, that you do need to pay for its services. Payment can be made via your iTunes Account; the subscription is USD 8.99 per month and USD 49.99 per year. 

5. For journaling: What’s Up? A Mental Health App

Journaling or venting can be a good way to release negative emotions, especially if you’re not a fan of talking to other people about your problems. Instead of just having your feelings bubble up inside you, let it all out with What’s Up? A Mental Health App. 

What’s Up? has tools that help with depression, using principles from both Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you deal with things like depression, anxiety, anger, and stress.

Aside from offering a habit tracker, psychoeducation, and coping strategies for your negative habits, What’s Up? also has a diary that you can use to talk about how you felt during the day, or simply to rant about whatever comes to mind.

Aside from this, the app discusses with you your different thinking patterns, and also helps you get grounded during tough times. You can also track how you feel when going through your problems, and can rate how your day went, ranging from amazing to horrible.