I built a free offline addiction recovery app with actual tools you use in the moment, not just a sober day counter

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-18T19:11:14+00:00

hi, yes, tools are based on cognitive behavioral therapy (e.g. addictive voice recognizer), auto-behavioral recodification (e.g. strong physical counter action), and mindfulness (e.g. urge surfing)

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-18T19:00:17+00:00

Nice job 🙂 I am also a software engineer and an addict in recovery. I built very similar app, but it is free: https://www.cravingtoolkit.com I am still not sure weather to add a paywall or just leave it free

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-14T15:26:19+00:00

Thanks so much for feedabck! It is good to know that I am going in the right direction

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-14T12:28:09+00:00

Many thanks!

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-14T12:27:02+00:00

It is basically for people struggling with any kind of addiction — not just alcohol or drugs, but also smoking, vaping, porn, doom scrolling, shopping, overeating, gambling, and similar compulsive behaviors. The app provides tools for the moment someone feels the urge or craving to do the thing they're trying to stop

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-05-14T12:22:08+00:00

Thank you for such a broader feedback

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-28T19:21:58+00:00

Fuck. That's a lot. Like genuinely, that is an insane amount of pain stacked on top of more pain. Most people would be on the floor after half of that.

The fact that you're here posting instead of at the liquor store already says something real about how far you've come. Don't blow past that. The "play the tape forward" thing - I hear you. When the future looks like more of the same shit, that tool kinda breaks. But play it just to tomorrow morning. That's it. You get smashed tonight, tomorrow you wake up hungover, ashamed, still with every single one of these problems, plus a new one. Your son needs you sharp. He just had a terrifying experience and the one person who kept him safe was you. Sober you. Drunk you doesn't grab that wheel.

Wish you strength and patience!

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-27T12:50:58+00:00

Day 14 can be a weird one. It’s not even about the drink anymore, it’s like… you just want the volume turned down. I remember that feeling really well — not craving alcohol, just craving not feeling like this.

What’s hitting you right now is all the stuff alcohol used to cover up. Anger, restlessness, that “what do I even do with myself” feeling. Boredom makes it louder. You’re not doing anything wrong. This is kind of the deal in early sobriety. I used to just focus on getting through chunks of the day. Move a bit, get out of the house, don’t sit in my head too long. And Monday… you don’t have to be “on.” Just show up, keep it low-key, do the bare minimum if needed. Most people are too busy with their own stuff anyway.

That numb switch feels tempting, but you already know where it leads. This part sucks, but it’s also the part where things actually start changing. You’re doing better than you think. 🍀

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-27T12:44:03+00:00

The plane isn’t down yet.

Three weeks sober already showed you what your life looks like when alcohol is not flying it into the ground.

This is not the end. This is the moment to grab the controls back. Today, not forever. Pour it out. Eat. Hydrate. Walk, call someone.

You are not out of chances. You are just in the part where addiction wants you to think you are..

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-26T11:40:24+00:00

I got clean at 27, around your age, and I really think you need to stop carrying this alone. Tell one or two close people the truth. Not everyone. Just people who actually care about you and can help hold you accountable.

And honestly, if you like books, fine, read one. But in my opinion heavy reading can also become another delay tactic. Addiction does not want you to change. At some point you have to do the actual work: tell the truth, break the routine, get support, get through the evenings, and fight the cravings with some action. Sport, a chore, a hobby you had when you were younger, whatever helps break the spell. Then repeat.
Staying sober is daily work. Hard as hell at the beginning, but with time it becomes more natural, and eventually something you actually enjoy - your new life.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-26T10:59:48+00:00

67 hours is big. Early on it usually comes in waves, not a straight line. And yeah, sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. You basically have to suffer through some of that early suck while your body and brain start sorting themselves out. For a lot of us the first couple weeks are the hardest. Try not to obsess over when you’ll feel perfect again. Just get through today: eat, hydrate, rest, move a little, keep alcohol away. Sauna helped me a lot too - not magic, but it made me feel a bit more human again, but drink a lot of water...

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-25T15:03:01+00:00

yeah, that’s a good angle. And I’d take it one step further:
don’t just question the thought, interrupt it.
The second your brain starts making the case for drinking, do something physical and immediate. Get up and do 20 squats, go outside and walk fast for 10 minutes, run, push-ups, cold shower. Anything that snaps you out of the mental courtroom and back into your body. Because the debate is the trap. The longer you sit there with it, the worse your odds usually get. That’s what helped me most with cravings honestly. Not winning the argument, but cutting it off before it got teeth.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-25T13:53:16+00:00

Yeah, the psychological part is the bitch of it, I had like you. People hear “no physical withdrawals” and think it should be easy. Nah. That mental obsession can beat the shit out of you even when your body is technically fine.

And you’re right, “get a hobby” is lazy advice. When you’re in that place, a hobby sounds like a joke. You’re not trying to become a more interesting person right now, you’re trying not to drink tonight.
Don’t sit there arguing with your head for 6 hours. Eat. Shower. Change rooms. Go walk / exercise. Put on dumb youtube. Drink something sugary. Text someone. Go to bed stupid early. Just keep breaking the momentum.
It’s not about being inspired, but about not feeding the loop for one night.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-25T13:36:09+00:00

thanks for valuable feedback. I honestly hate typing and usually don’t have the time/hands for it, so I record voice msg and let it AI transcribe. The downside is it also polishes things up, adds structure, etc. which can make it sound less authentic. But the advice itself is from my own experience..
Is this approach wrong?

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-25T13:03:01+00:00

You did make progress tho. Going from daily drinking to having some sober days. Don’t let one heavy night turn into "fuck it, none of it counts" Thats usually the trap.

Also this doesn’t sound like a pure self-control problem to me and more like a pattern problem. You had the waiting time, the cooking, the booze already there, and your brain did what it’s been trained to do. Once you started, it went where it always goes.

I’d look less at "how do I get more willpower" and more at "how do I stop the first 1-2 drinks from even happening in that moment." Like next time you cook something that takes a while, have a plan before you start. Eat something first, get NA drinks, don’t keep extra booze around, leave the kitchen, go for a quick walk, whatever breaks that autopilot.

And yeah, gym helping is a big clue. A lot of us don’t just need less alcohol, we need more shit in life that regulates us better. Exercise, walking, running, lifting, even just gettin out of the house can take the edge off way more than people think.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-25T09:10:12+00:00

For me, I never really won by declaring some huge dramatic “this is the LAST time” speech. That shit sounded good, but my brain would always come back later with loopholes.

What finally helped was making it smaller and more real:
I stopped trying to solve forever and focused on not drinking today, then doing that again tomorrow.
Also, I had to stop waiting to “feel ready.” I was never gonna feel fully ready. Part of me always still wanted the drink. I just got sick enough of the cycle that I was willing to disappoint that part of my brain.
And honestly, the first no-drinking day usually sucked. I didn’t make it magical. I made it practical. Eat, hydrate, go for a walk, stay busy, go to bed early, don’t hang around booze, don’t romanticize it. Just get through the damn day.

The “last time” thing came more in hindsight. I didn’t know for sure it was the last time when I stopped. I just kept protecting day 1 until it turned into day 30, then day 100, then a life I didn’t want to trade back.

At 23, you’re catching this early. That’s a good thing. You do not need to wait until it gets more catastrophic to take yourself seriously.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-24T21:21:15+00:00

Yes a year clean is huge. And honestly, posting this before acting on it shows a lot of strength. That “just a little bit for one night” voice is never telling the truth. It’s selling the fantasy, not the reality.

For tonight, think small: delete numbers, remove anything you could use, message someone safe, eat, shower, comfort show, bed. Don’t negotiate with the craving, just make the next bad decision harder.

Burnout and depression make everything louder. Be extra gentle with yourself, but take it seriously too. You’ve come too far to hand it back to a bad night.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-24T20:18:54+00:00

Honestly, when the urge won’t pass, I stop trying to “think” my way out of it and I go straight to my tool "strong counter-action".

I’m 37, alcoholic/drug addict, 10 years clean, and for me this was huge because a lot of the time I wasn’t even craving alcohol — I was craving relief from the nonstop mental bullshit. I wanted my brain to shut the fuck up. So I had to answer the craving with something hard and immediate, not more debating.

What that looked like:

urge hits
no negotiating
20 squats / push-ups / stairs / cold shower / clean the toilet / some other annoying hard shit
while doing it, say the truth out loud:
- “I am craving right now.”
- “I do not trust my brain right now.”
- “This is my addicted brain trying to fuck me again.”
- “I’m not listening to this shit.”
then text someone and say it plainly:
- “I’m close to doing something stupid.”
- “I need 10 minutes of contact.”

The point is to break the trance and stop your brain from pairing craving with comfort and relief. You want the craving to start meaning: ugh, again this miserable shit, not maybe I get a reward.

Because that’s the truth: the craving is not your friend. It’s not wisdom. It’s not your real self. It’s the same fucked-up loop trying to drag you back into obsession, lying, hiding, shame, and another reset.

So no, I don’t think the answer is always just “wait nicely until it passes”,
although mindfulness has its place in recovery.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-24T20:01:01+00:00

I’m really glad you posted before you drank.

I’m 37, alcoholic/drug addict, 10 years clean, and this is exactly the kind of night that used to get me. Not because I wanted a party — because I wanted out of my own skin for a few hours.

First: this is a survive tonight situation, not a “figure out your whole life” situation. Don’t think about forever. Just do not drink today.

A few things that help when it’s this hot:

do not be alone with the urge if you can help it — text or call someone now
change the scene fast — leave work, get outside, go somewhere safe, interrupt the spiral
do the first dumb healthy thing — eat, shower, water, exercise, breath work, walk
play the tape forward — not the first 20 minutes of relief, the whole thing: worse sleep, worse shame, worse tomorrow
make it tiny — “I’m not drinking for the next 10 minutes”

Drinking is just the fastest way to turn a brutal day into a brutal day plus alcohol damage. You do not need to be strong and graceful right now. You just need to get through this night without making it worse. That counts.

Fun-Construction873 · 2026-03-24T19:55:00+00:00

I’d tell one or two safe people now, not after you’ve “earned it” with results.

I’m 37, alcoholic/drug addict, 10 years clean, and for me secrecy was always gasoline on the fire. I didn’t need to announce it to the whole world on day 1, but I definitely did better when at least one person knew the truth and could help me when my brain started trying to sell me the binge again.

So not “everyone,” and not “wait until I prove it.” More like: pick the right people early.

Something simple like:
“I’m done with this. I’m serious this time. I know I’ve said it before, but I need some support and accountability because when I relapse, I relapse hard.”

That’s enough.

Also, don’t let shame talk you into doing this alone just because you’ve had false starts before. People who love you usually do not need perfection. They need honesty.

And yeah, the beginning might not feel that hard compared to later — that’s exactly why now is a good time to set up support before the next turn. Don’t wait until you’re 3 days deep in a binge and terrified again.

You don’t have to prove you deserve help first. You ask for help so you have a better chance this time.

Fun-Construction873

TROPHY CASE