In my previous post on AddictionNews, I looked at some of the high-tech startups in the addiction recovery space. While most of the startups have apps connected to the devices we discussed, we did not review any of the addiction recovery apps. So let’s take a look at some of the most highly rated smartphone applications in addiction recovery.

Choosing Therapy, a major source of information on mental health and behavioral health, ranked the best addiction recovery apps for 2024, and here’s their list:

• Best Overall Addiction Recovery App — I Am Sober
• Best App to Access Meetings — WEconnect
• Best Sobriety Clock — Quitzilla
• Best Free Addiction Recovery App — Nomo
• Best CBT Addiction Recovery App — Recovery Path
• Best Educational Tools — SMART Recovery
• Best for Medication-Assisted Treatment — Workit Health

I Am Sober ($9.95/month) says it’s a sobriety tracking app. The app reminds you every day of your reasons for staying sober and the length of your sobriety streak. It also tracks how much money you’ve saved staying sober. I Am Sober also connects you anonymously with others who are using the app and trying to stay sober.

WeConnect ($40/month) is a wellness app that provides a “1-on-1 connection with certified professionals,” but not the same professional every time. It also allows for virtual access to group meetings. WeConnect hosts meetings four times a day, Monday through Friday, and three times a day Saturday and Sunday. They also host separate meetings for family and caregivers; LGBTQIA2+; men only; women only; mental health; and grief support.

Quitzilla ($2.99/month) is a bargain and you get what you pay for. The one-app-fits-all approach gives you the option of “beating” a variety of “bad habits,” including alcohol use, watching porn, failure to save money, video gaming, and procrastination. Quitzilla tracks the number of days abstinent and estimated savings. For support, the app delivers a motivational quote of the day.

Nomo (free) is a sobriety clock. In fact, it’s multiple clocks for tracking how long you’ve been abstinent from anything and how much money you’ve saved. It could be candy, beer, liquor, gaming, porn, eating out, overeating, time-wasting — whatever you want to stop. You can find “accountability partners” through the app who are also trying to quit and who you can reach out to for support. The free version has advertisements; the paid version does not.

Recovery Path (free) is a much more nuanced addiction recovery app. It’s more like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a smartphone. It includes places for you to record your thoughts, feelings, cravings, triggers, and for medical journaling, which can be therapeutic. You can connect the app to a care provider or to a family member or friend. You can also find others using the app to connect with or meetings to attend. The app is loaded with helpful suggestions for dealing with cravings, urges, and triggers.

SMART Recovery (free). SMART stands for Self Management and Recovery Training, and a smartphone application that’s “grounded in Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), that supports people with substance dependencies or problem behaviors.” SMART Recovery is very much about taking charge of your own recovery, the so-called “tough-love” approach of REBT. SMART Recovery builds your self-esteem while teaching you how to change yourself. Plus it also connects you with thousands of others worldwide using the same approach.

Workit Health (cost varies with treatment plan) bridges a gap that none of these other apps do. It allows you to get prescriptions for Medication-Assisted Therapy (MAT) through the app by accessing licensed clinicians who can prescribe medications. Workit Health is recommended for those with substance use disorders in particular, because of its ability to quickly connect you with licensed professionals in individual or group settings.

Finally, certainly the best free addiction recovery app we have seen is BrainWeighve, from eHealth International, publishers of AddictionNews. BrainWeighve puts you in charge by guiding you through the setup of triggers and action plans for dealing with dozens of possible life problem situations. You can share your daily check-ins with a medical professional and get personalized feedback through the app from certified professionals. BrainWeighve is undergoing trials right now at UCLA. If you are between the ages of 14 and 21 and you want to test this weight loss app, follow the link to enroll in the study.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published August 19, 2024.

Sources:

“Best Addiction Recovery Apps of 2024,” Choosing Therapy, November 18, 2023.

“The Best Addiction Apps For Recovery & Support,” AddictionHelp.com, July 12, 2024.

“Top 6 Smartphone Addiction Recovery Apps,” American Addiction Centers, July 12, 2024.

Image Copyright: elisanth.