Best Apps to Stop Drinking Alcohol
More than 14.5 million Americans were abusing alcohol in some form back in 2019. We can imagine the problem getting worse during the pandemic when everyone was stuck in their homes. Alcohol has ruined many lives and families, and we are all aware of that fact.
The younger generation is waking up to the ills of alcohol faster than the previous generations. The number of people from Gen Z buying alcohol has dropped 6% from the number of millennials doing so. Among other things, we can attribute this trend to growing awareness largely due to smartphones.
Smartphones and apps are changing lives
5.7 billion people own a smartphone. No other tool/equipment/object is owned by so many people. The impact of smartphones on the world has been nothing short of unprecedented.
Apps make smartphones what they are. There are different ways of using an app, and habit tracking and formation, social media, and media streaming are among some of the most impactful categories for apps.
There are some great apps that can help anyone quit alcohol. Some of them focus on creating and maintaining a support group, while others focus on habit tracking, incentivizing, coaching, etc.
In this article, we will talk about the ten best apps to help you quit or control your alcohol addiction.
Let's dive right in.
1. Better Without
Android, iOS
Free
We thought the Better Without App was such an amazing resource that we actually joined forces! Better Without is the largest source for everything alcohol free. You can discover, locate, and interact with the best tasting non-alcoholic beverages on the market.
2. nomo - Sobriety Clocks
Android, iOS
Free
nomo is the first app on our list not because it has the best interface or the innovative features. It does not reward you with shopping coupons for not drinking. nomo do nothing fancy.
You can set sobriety clocks on nomo and share them with your friends. You can choose not to share as well. There are good resources and mini distraction games to keep you protected when you are feeling tempted.
Every time you successfully complete a clock, you get chips. You cannot buy anything with these chips, but simply keep them as a reminder of your streak. You can directly share your achievements on social media.
Any time you or your accountability partners reset their clocks, you get a notification. That covers the social expectation and accountability part of quitting alcohol. The detailed breakdowns of your temptations and victories make you feel good on a personal level.
The best thing about nomo is that it doesn't confuse you. There are no over-the-top promises or commitments to make you feel anxious about your decisions. You would not lose money if you break your streak, for example. It's also free, anyone can download and use it.
While nomo is a great app, it may not be the best for everyone. Some need a little more stake and stricter restraints to reach their goal of sobriety. That's why we have 9 more apps to explore.
3. I Am Sober
Android, iOS
Free, Paid
I Am Sober is a visually stunning app. The smooth animation and lucid interface make it an instant hit. No wonder it has a 4.8 rating on the Play Store and more than a million downloads.
The guiding principles of I Am Sober are very simple. It gives you a beautiful visualization platform that helps you picture what your sober days would look like.
I Am Sober has a strong social media angle. It connects more than a million people who are all on the same mission to quit alcohol addiction. There's a beautiful journal in the app that lets you write about your day and achievements. You can keep it private or choose to share it with friends.
The app also lets you set personal goals and celebrate milestones. There are many things on the app that you can customize depending on where you are and what your day looks like.
Every morning, I Am Sober encourages you to take a sobriety pledge. This daily oath has proven to be very helpful for many people who are trying to quit. Apart from that, there are stories and motivational content that will cheer you up and help resist temptation.
I Am Sober also has a calculator that helps you understand how much money you are saving by not drinking. You also get analysis and reports based on when and where you have the most temptations. This information is very helpful for people trying to overcome alcohol addiction.
Overall, I Am Sober is a great app. It keeps the fundamental principles simple but adds a polished touch to it. The UI of the app is better than most of the other apps that have made it to this list. In short, it's a great app.
4. Stop Drinking With Andrew John
Android ($2.49), iOS (free)
Stop Drinking with Andrew John is not like the last two apps we talked about. It focuses a lot more on the mindfulness aspect, and the voice of Andrew guides you through your journey.
If you have tried other apps to quit alcohol and failed, give this app a shot. Stop Drinking with Andrew John gives you short and long guided mediations to help overcome addiction from its roots. You are no longer running against a clock or giving in to societal accountability. Instead, you are rigorously questioning and understanding the very roots of alcohol addiction.
Stop Drinking with Andrew John has some amazing breathing exercises for times when you feel tempted to drink. Unlike playing games, you are not distracting yourself with something else here. You are looking into the reasons you feel the temptation and find ways to overcome it.
One section of Stop Drinking with Andrew John is all about stories and personal accounts. Think of it as your virtual Alcoholic Anonymous. Whenever you question your decision or feel lonely in the journey, you read these stories to see how millions of people have been at the same spot and overcome it.
Andrew Johnson is a renowned mindfulness coach who has helped many people live better lives. The app is a repository of his years of insight and knowledge. It's a personal coach who guides you through the ups and downs on the way toward sobriety.
Just as nomo wouldn't work for everyone, the same applies to Stop Drinking with Andrew Johnson. Not everyone has the bend of mind to sit down and breathe to overcome temptation. But if you are the type of person who wants to get rid of addiction from its roots, Stop Drinking with Andrew Johnson is a great app.
4. Sober Sidekick: Quit Drinking
Android, iOS
Free
Sober Sidekick is a social app for people trying to quit. The foundation of the app is built on its social media aspect where people struggling with addiction come together and discuss issues. There are empathy badges that you can give to fellow Sober Sidekick users which are the equivalent of likes.
If you are looking for a community to help you beat addiction, Sober Sidekick is the app for you. It connects you with thousands of other people who have the same issues and challenges. Anytime you have an irresistible temptation, you can reach out to the community for help.
There are specialized helplines in Sober Sidekick as well. It also connects you to the Alcoholic Anonymous 24/7 helpline directly from the app. In short, it has all the social support that you need to kick off addiction.
The best part about the Sober Sidekick social community is that you can choose to be anonymous. Quitting alcohol is a vulnerable journey for some people, and they may not feel comfortable sharing their identities with strangers. Sober Sidekick keeps that in mind when bringing new people to the online community.
Apart from the social aspect, Sober Sidekick also has tracking features. You can set goals and share them with people, just like most of the other apps. The tracking mechanism in Sober Sidekick is simple and does not have anything extraordinary.
Sober Sidekick is perfect for those who need social support to quit their addiction. While mindfulness and introspection draw power from the inside, being in a community draws strength from the outside. It depends on which mode is better for you and suits your temperament. If you want support, Sober Sidekick is among the best apps you can find.
5. Sober Time - Sober Day Counter
Android, iOS
Free
Sober Time combines the best features of the other apps we talked about. It has a refreshing UI, intuitive timers and challenges, daily motivations and resources, and a vibrant community to help you along the way. If you are looking for an app that does it all, Sober Time is among the best options.
There are several ways in which Sober Time can help you quit alcohol. The simplest approach is to give yourself goals and track your performance. Another approach is to connect with other people and have accountability partners. That gives you an external impetus to quit the addiction.
Sober Time also provides detailed reports and analyses on your journey. It helps you understand your triggers and temptations, and the relevant resources help you overcome them. You also get to see how much money you are saving by not drinking.
Overall, there's little to none that Sober Time gets wrong. The only problem is that it doesn't focus on any one aspect of the quitting journey. It's a general app for addiction, and not alcohol addiction exclusively. Nonetheless, it's a great app for people looking for something simple and effective.
6.AlcoTrack+: BAC Calculator
Android
$7.99
AlcoTrack is not available on the Apple App Store at the moment but might be available in the future.
AlcoTrack relies on data and charts to help you quit the addiction. It measures your blood alcohol content based on self-reports. That means you tell the app how much you drank and when, and the app tells you approximately the amount of alcohol content in your blood.
While many people use AlcoTrack to make sure they are not drunk driving, it has features beyond that. For instance, AlcoTrack gives you detailed analysis with charts and graphs to show what your addiction looks like and how severe it is. If you are a person who likes concrete data and facts, you cannot go wrong with AlcoTrack.
There are two great features of the app that several other apps in the category lack. First, it has a drunk protection mode which doesn't let you call or text anyone when you have self-reported alcohol consumption. It's an optional feature, so you can turn it off if you want.
The second feature is an in-app diary that lets you note your thoughts. The simple act of self-reflection is a great way to beat alcohol addiction. Overall, AlcoTrack is a great app that offers something more than the average app that helps you quit drinking.
7. Iron Will: Quit your addiction
Iron Will is the last app on our list because we believe the other apps have better and more effective features. Nonetheless, Iron Will is a great app. It doesn't do a lot apart from giving you goals and helping you track progress. There are some motivational quotes here and there, and that might help some people, though it doesn't most of the time time.
Iron Will's strength is also its weakness. It is not capable of analysis, coaching sessions, community support, resources, and so on. We often look for apps that have the bare minimum to not confuse ourselves. That's where Iron Will comes in handy.
It's a simple app with a smooth user interface and very limited features. These are its strengths and weaknesses at the same time.