Is Affect’s online alcohol treatment program right for you?

Find out more about our sober app and online alcohol treatment program with answers to these common questions

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Affect offers online alcohol treatment through its revolutionary app. You can get all the services of an outpatient rehab program including medications, therapy, and more right through your phone. It’s completely private and convenient, making it easy to get better comfortably. And, it’s covered by insurance. Affect’s online alcohol treatment program gets results in the top 1% of all providers.

These common questions can help you decide if Affect’s program is the right fit for you.

Who is a good fit for Affect?

Anyone who seeks to change their relationship to drugs and alcohol can reach their goals with Affect. Our innovative program was developed using scientific evidence and research to advance the field of addiction medicine. It is proven to be twice as effective compared to traditional treatment models for inpatient and outpatient. 

Affect is a licensed and accredited treatment provider equivalent to an outpatient recovery clinic, but the program is delivered completely through an app and differs from traditional treatment models used by most rehab clinics. Our treatment consultants can help people with the heaviest drinking get the care they need as well as support people who are seeking to reduce and moderate their drinking. Affect’s program for cannabis, stimulants such as meth and cocaine, and prescription drugs works to bring severe drug addictions into remission where traditional treatment has been unsuccessful.

I want to keep my treatment and use of the app private, is my information protected?

Affect is compliant with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) as a licensed health provider. All of your information is protected and can only be shared with your explicit consent. We do not inform your employer that you are in our care and we do not notify law enforcement of illegal drug use. We just want you to get better.

Since it is delivered completely through a smartphone app, Affect’s program is very discreet and private. You can attend your meetings and sessions from anywhere. You won’t risk being seen going to a clinic or have to make excuses at work to go to treatment.

We do not share your private and personal information with any companies that track your online behavior or sell it to third parties. No information is stored in publicly accessible databases. Your privacy is of utmost concern to us. All we care about is you getting better.

How is Affect different from other recovery programs?

Affect is not just a sober app. Affect developed the first licensed online alcohol treatment program to be delivered completely through an app using scientifically-proven methods of rewards to motivate people seeking recovery and reduce their use of alcohol and drugs. Affect was developed a team of innovators using the latest research and data from addiction medicine, neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and game design theory. The result is a program like no other.

Affect is perfect for people who don’t feel comfortable with traditional recovery models or have struggled with them in the past. When we designed and built our app, we sought to remove the barriers that keep people from getting the help they need, such as concerns over privacy and costs, and provide a program that people will keep working until they’re better.

Do you take insurance?

Yes. Affect works with many employer and marketplace insurance plans and also takes Medicaid, which completely covers the cost of our program for eligible participants. We are adding more plans all the time.

Affect’s program counts towards deductibles. Even if you paid on your own, Affect is half the cost of the average outpatient treatment program and a fraction of the cost of inpatient treatment. 

If I’m not looking to quit alcohol completely, can I still join Affect?

Yes. Of course! There are people in our program who have goals to drink less alcohol rather than quit drinking completely. You can use Affect to manage drinking or stop drinking alcohol completely. We use the method known as “harm reduction” where people decrease their use and do not force strict abstinence. Harm reduction has been shown by evidence and data to work better to help people manage alcohol use disorders.

Can I access Affect’s sober app for free?

Yes. You can use the Affect app on your own to support your recovery journey at no cost to you.

You need to be enrolled in the treatment program in order to get therapy, advocate support, and be able to redeem rewards you earn from doing challenges.

Unlike many sobriety apps, there are no hidden subscription fees or charges to access tools, resources, and content in our app. There are no ads that track your behavior.

Is Affect for iOS and Android?

Yes. The Affect app works on all smartphones. It has been designed and built to work on even the most inexpensive phones and use as little data as possible.

Can I use Affect with other programs like AA, NA, or Smart Recovery?

Yes, and many people do! Affect is a great way to get professional addiction treatment while working in peer-based recovery community programs and we encourage our members to seek them out.  A recovery community helps as people change their lives and move forward with healthier relationships. Affect helps people who struggle with relapses while in community recovery programs. As people work the steps and start to dig into their issues under their drinking and drug use, therapy sessions with an experienced, licensed addiction counselor helps them unpack their issues and make real progress.

Can I use Affect if I am already in another treatment program?

If you are in an outpatient or inpatient program, you can use Affect’s app for free. But, insurance will generally not pay for two treatment programs at the same time.

The majority of people who leave inpatient treatment will relapse within a month of returning home. Using Affect after leaving a residential rehab facility keeps them on their recovery journey. Other people find going to an outpatient clinic uncomfortable and stop getting support. They find online treatment is a better fit for their lives. Affect’s discreet program and convenient recovery app is a great solution for them.

Affect is a licensed outpatient treatment program like a clinic, but you don’t have to go to a clinic to get treatment since it comes to you through the app. We offer all the same services and support and much, much more. With medication and assistance in detoxification, Affect is a great alternative to inpatient and works twice as well as traditional, abstinence-based outpatient programs. 

Many people who have tried rehab and struggled find that they can reach their goals and change their lives using Affect’s program.

What is Alcohol Use Disorder? How do I know if I am addicted to Alcohol?

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a pattern of problematic drinking that runs on a spectrum of mild, moderate, to severe levels of alcohol dependence. Addiction science and research show there is a progression of use, misuse, abuse, and ultimately dependency where someone goes from having an occasional drink socially, to wanting a drink, to needing alcohol. After a certain period of time, the brain undergoes changes that are long lasting and people need to quit completely to gain control of their lives and start healing.

The amount of alcohol people drink is not the only factor. Use can be also be considered an addiction in part when it leads to consistently negative outcomes in someone’s life and they can no longer control it. Medicine views addiction as a “chronic condition,” not unlike type 2 diabetes, that requires management to put it into remission. Research shows that a large number of people with AUD have similar neurotypes and genes that could make certain people more likely to develop it over time.

Being on the AUD spectrum doesn’t mean someone is abnormal—it means it might be time to learn some better coping mechanisms before the condition becomes more severe.

Everybody experiences AUD differently, so if you believe your drinking is an issue, regardless of where you are on the spectrum, you will benefit from talking confidentially with a counselor one-on-one about what’s happening in your life. When you find yourself asking “am I addicted to alcohol” or searching the web for things like “signs of alcoholism” or “am I an alcoholic,” it’s a time to talk to a mental health counselor with specialty in substance use disorders to sort things out.

Download the free app to get started now!

download affect's app from the play store

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  • We know the first step is the hardest one to take. Once you’ve made the brave decision to change your life, we make the rest as easy as possible.

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