10 Best Apps for Recovering Alcoholics
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 18 million Americans suffer from an alcohol use disorder.
If you're dipping your toes in temperance or are in the midst of a full-fledged alcohol treatment program, the following 10 apps will add that extra bit of encouragement to keep you on the right path.
Please note: Healthline Networks does not endorse or warrant for fitness of purpose any of these applications. These apps have not been evaluated for medical accuracy by Healthline Networks and unless otherwise indicated, haven’t been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Stop Drinking with Andrew Johnson
iPhone - 4 stars with 35 ratings - $2.99
People worldwide travel to England to attend life-changing lectures from licensed hypnotist and stress management expert Andrew Johnson. Now Johnson's thoughtful, inspiring words are available to those interested in quitting drinking.
Stop Drinking with Andrew Johnson is designed to help you beat your alcohol cravings. If you're telling yourself you can't, then break the negative self talk with this powerful motivational app, which relies on effective relaxation, hypnotherapy, and positive suggestions and visualizations to turn your self-destructive thinking and behavior around!
Biblical Encouragement - Alcohol Addiction
iPhone - 5 stars with 14 ratings - $0.99
For some people, it's helpful to turn to a higher power during periods of great hardship. If you're in the midst of a recovery program, you're probably feeling many difficult emotions and physical symptoms. Fortunately for you, WorldLink’s Biblical Encouragement – Alcohol Addiction app provides uplifting biblical verses to match each and every one.
Start by selecting from 35 common feelings: addicted, anxious, doubtful, and frustrated just to name a few and then take comfort from the provided verses and commentary. Even better, you can share these powerful statements with others struggling with alcohol addiction via email, text, and social media.
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Android - 4.4 stars with 36 ratings - 1K–5K installs in the last 30 days - $4.99
iPhone - 5 stars with 555 ratings - $4.99
Anyone who's ever battled alcoholism will tell you that it takes round-the-clock effort. Enter Twenty-Four Hours a Day, the classic daily meditation book, which has sold over nine million copies, and helped alcoholics worldwide.
Now, with the Twenty-Four Hours a Day app, it's even more portable. Anytime that temptation overtakes you, turn to this complete collection of thoughts, meditations, and prayers, which has already encouraged legions of addicts like yourself along the road to recovery.
Blood Alcohol Calculator
Android - 3.7 stars with 196 ratings - 50K-100K installs in the last 30 days - Free
If you have a serious drinking problem, then there is a greater probability that you will put yourself in a dangerous situation, such as drunk driving. According to a Center for Disease Control report, nearly 11,000 deaths occur annually as a result of drunk driving.
So before you get behind the wheel — after even just one drink — turn to Blood Alcohol Calculator (BAC), to learn if you're safe to drive. Just input the number of drinks, along with their size and alcohol percentage and the number of hours you've been drinking and presto, you'll get your alcohol content level — the information you need to keep yourself and others safe on the road.
AlcoDroid Alcohol Tracker
Android - 4.4 stars with 1,105 ratings - 100K–500K installs in the last 30 days - Free
Since alcohol brings forgetfulness, sometimes the best way to uncover whether you have a drinking problem is to track it. AlcoDroid will track how much you drink and act as a drinks diary, so you can get a handle on whether you're drinking more than you'd like.
Other important features include a built-in blood alcohol content calculator, customizable drink presets, so you can log your liquor quickly and easily while on the go, and logbooks and charts that display your daily, weekly, and monthly consumption statistics, which are easily sharable with your medical professionals.
SoberApp - Alcohol Calculator
Android - 4.3 stars with 327 ratings - 50K-100K installs in the last 30 days - Free
When you're drunk, your cognitive abilities are hindered, your emotions are exaggerated, your motor skills are impaired, and your memories are fragmented. Clearly that's not the easiest time to track your drinking. That's where SoberApp comes in.
Just enter your gender, weight, and drinking details, and SoberApp will not only monitor the number of drinks you’ve had and estimate your BAC and reaction times (through a built-in reaction test), but also will predict when you'll be safe to drive or where to find a nearby taxi. With photos of over 3,100 drinks to choose from, along with bar code scanning and voice recognition searching of popular brands and cocktails, finding your beverage of choice becomes foolproof, even when you're at your most intoxicated. Just try not to slur too much.
Blood Alcohol Calculator
Android - 3.4 stars with 479 ratings - 100K–500K installs in the last 30 days - Free
There are few experiences as unnerving as being pulled over by a policeman after being suspected of drunk driving and subjected to a series of balance tests and the tell-no-lie breathalyzer test.
Prevent this from happening with the Blood Alcohol Calculator. With a database of all your favorite drinks and more, this useful, easy-to-use app can estimate how safe it is for you to drive. And when it comes to drunk driving, it's always better safe than sorry.
12 Steps AA Companion
Android - 4.5 stars with 1,080 ratings - 10K–50K installs in the last 30 days - $1.99
iPhone - 3.5 stars with 1,499 ratings - $2.99
Since the 1930s, Alcoholics Anonymous and its well-known Twelve Step program have been helping alcoholics the world over recover from this brutal addiction and has even been adapted to help others with other types of addictions including drugs, sex, gambling, and smoking.
Now you can carry your Twelve Steps with you wherever you go with the 12 Steps AA Companion. Whether you want to view your length of sobriety, reread the groundbreaking Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, say your prayers or make your promises, this app can help you do that. If you feel you need some face-to-face contact with fellow alcoholics, this app will direct you to your nearest meeting and support services, as well.
One Day At A Time
Android - 4.5 stars with 486 ratings - 5K–10K installs in the last 30 days - $1.99
iPhone - 3 stars with 292 ratings - $1.99
When cravings are at their worst, you'll often feel better if you can distract yourself, and there's no better distraction than a good book — or in this case, "The Big Book" or Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.
The One Day At A Time app brings "The Big Book" to you along with daily prayers, promises, and meditations, as well as sobriety tracking and access to phone numbers to keep you progressing or "stepping" in the right direction.
Control Alcohol
Android - 4.5 stars with 6 ratings - 500-1K installs in the last 30 days - $4.99
iPhone - 4.5 stars with 16 ratings - $4.99
Dating back to the 19th century, hypnotherapy has been used by trained practitioners to create an aversion towards all kinds of substances including alcohol.
Developed by Darren Marks, one of the UK's leading hypnotherapists, Control Alcohol helps you recognize your drinking limits and when to stop. Whether you want to stop drinking altogether or just cut back, you'll enjoy several potent yet relaxing hypnosis audio sessions, tranquility inducing, accompanying video animations, and interviews with Marks to prep you for the process, along with additional alcohol control tips. So just sit back, relax, and reduce your drinking.
Get an App to Help with Recovery
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol addiction can have dire effects. A 2009 study found that over 15,000 deaths in a single year were attributed to alcoholic liver disease, and other alcohol-induced deaths — not counting accidents and homicides — was over 24,000.
Quitting may seem difficult, but continuing with your addiction is nothing short of deadly. If you feel that you have a problem with alcohol, discuss treatment options with your doctor, therapist, or a counselor, or check out a nearby AA meeting. No matter which direction you choose, the 10 aforementioned apps will surely boost the effectiveness of any program and help you in your recovery.
Methodology
We selected these recovering alcoholism apps based on their potential to aid people with alcoholism and their loved ones in a number of ways. Additional factors considered in selecting these apps included: user ratings, affordability, accessibility, format, functionality, and relevance to alcoholism and its community's needs. Together, this collection represents the gamut of helpful iPhone and Android apps that are successfully designed to make life with alcoholism more manageable.
