The 17 Best Online Sobriety Support Spaces

So much of our world has gone digital, even post-pandemic. For people in recovery who previously relied on in-person support, replicating that network virtually is more critical than ever. 

Online sobriety support spaces are also great starting points for people who are new to sobriety and are hesitant to put themselves out there in person. They provide a space to be open and honest with relative anonymity. 

To support you, I’ve compiled a list of online sobriety resources and counseling offerings to help you navigate the sobriety process. 

Use the table of contents to navigate this resource list if you prefer to skip the parts you know aren’t for you.

Virtual Online Recovery Programs

All of the traditional, in-person recovery programs have transitioned to online meetings to support their members. Whether you’re interested in AA or a similar program, you should be able to find online offerings. 

1. Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous is probably the most recognizable recovery program for alcohol addiction. It is a spiritually-based program (though belief in a higher power is not necessary) that has been around since the 1930s and has helped hundreds of thousands of people stay sober for good. 

AA uses The 12 Steps as outlined in the Big Book to help people reclaim their life from addiction. They currently offer online Intergroup meetings and resources for anyone who needs them. 

2. SMART Recovery

SMART Recovery is a popular alternative to AA. SMART stands for self-management and recovery training. It is an abstinence-based program that provides ideas and techniques to help people overcome addictive behaviors and lead better lives. 

One big difference is that this program avoids terms like “addiction” and “alcoholic.” They focus on behavioral change using their proprietary 4-Point Program. Check out their online meeting offerings for more information. 

3. LifeRing Secular Recovery

LifeRing is another abstinence-based, anonymous recovery program option. Much like SMART Recovery, they reject the “powerless over alcohol” tenet of AA and focus on strengthening the “Sober Self” and weakening the “Addict Self.” 

They approach recovery using their “3-S” philosophy which stands for sobriety, secularity, and self-help. If bringing religion or higher powers into the recovery space is off-putting for you, this is a great option. They offer online meetings as well as 24-hour chats for anyone in need of support. 

4. Refuge Recovery

Refuge Recovery is another free, recovery program for those wishing to quit drinking alcohol and get sober. 

It is rooted in Buddhist principles and practices and relies on them to help free people from addiction. They use the Eight-Fold Path To Recovery to help people break the cycle of suffering and addiction. 

To learn more or to find online meetings, you can visit their homepage.

Online Counseling for Sobriety and Mental Health Support

Telehealth has become a lifeline for so many people, myself included. For people in sobriety struggling with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or other diagnoses (which so many of us do), talk therapy with a therapist who specializes in alcohol addiction can be a game-changer for your recovery. 

For online counseling support for your sobriety, I recommend BetterHelp. 

5. BetterHelp

BetterHelp is a sponsor of Soberish and I’m so grateful for that because it has been a critical tool in my recovery journey. 

Talk therapy gives you the one-on-one attention that you can’t get from meetings. It’s helpful to have someone on your team, who understands your background and is trained to help you navigate whatever you’re going through. 

We meet so many incredible people on our sobriety journeys who have great insight to offer us, but we also need professional support.

Addiction, depression, and anxiety are challenging conditions to manage, especially at once. 

We aren’t meant to know precisely how to do it on our own. We need partners who understand the nature of our problems, who can help us see them in different ways, and unpack the root of our struggles.

 BetterHelp is great because they have tools to match you with a good counselor which, anyone who has ever had to find a therapist on their own using Google knows, is essential.

No more randomly choosing from a list of names and hoping for the best. Plus, if it doesn’t work out, you can easily change counselors. 

I also enjoy the flexibility of online counseling.

Office visits are hard to schedule. Most people can’t do an in-person session at 10 AM on a Monday. Having the option to do your therapy session via text, phone, or video makes scheduling infinitely easier. 

If you’re interested in trying BetterHelp, you can get 10% off your first month by signing up with my link or using the code Soberish. 

BIPOC Online Sobriety Support

If you’re looking for sobriety and recovery support that is geared towards supporting people in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities, here are some resources you may find helpful. 

6. Sober Black Girls Club

The Sober Black Girls Club is the brainchild of Khadi A. Oluwatoyin, who founded the site after realizing through her own sobriety journey that there were not a lot of digital resources available to women of color pursuing sobriety. 

The SBGC team offers membership, events, and resources to help you get and stay sober. I highly recommend checking them out. 

LGBTQIA+ Online Sobriety Resources

If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, there are excellent resources available online that help people navigate the difficulties of sobriety while addressing issues that are specific to the LGBTQIA+ lived experience. 

Of course, people are multifaceted and may have needs that require support from a variety of recovery groups. There is a push to create more intersectional programs and communities. I hope that at least one resource here adds value to your sobriety. 

7. GaL-AA (Gays and Lesbians in Alcoholics Anonymous)

GaL-AA is pretty much what it sounds like – AA for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, even if the name isn’t quite as inclusive. It truly is for the entire queer and trans community. The group was founded in 1981 and is rooted in AA practice and principles. 

The only real difference from other AA groups is that it seeks to center the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals who struggle with alcohol abuse and want to get sober.

8. Gay & Sober 

Gay & Sober aims to connect sober queer and trans people to each other, provide resources, and identify local, gay-friendly AA recovery spaces. They have a wonderful directory for online AA meetings that focus on the LGBTQIA+ community that you can check out here. 

Women-Centered Sobriety Resources

The following resources are designed to help women and women-identifying folks navigate sobriety. These spaces are valuable for women who are more comfortable in exclusively female support spaces. They also center issues that women face in ways that mixed-gender groups do not. 

I’ve tried to find support spaces that cater exclusively to men for this list, but have come up short. There’s definitely a need for them, so if you come across any good ones, please drop the links in the comments!

9. She Recovers

She Recovers is a global, grassroots movement comprised of 325,000 women in recovery or seeking sobriety. She Recovers provides a wide range of services including creating in-person and online communities to connect women in sobriety, workshops, book clubs, retreats, and so much more. 

For online meeting offerings, check out their Together Online page. Meetings are open to all women, cisgender and trans, and nonbinary people. They have a wide range of meetings for various groups of women including:

• BIPOC women
• Women veterans and first responders
• Mothers of high needs children
• Healthcare and allied professionals
• Legal professionals

10. Women For Sobriety

Women for Sobriety is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women “a happy New Life from Substance Use Disorders.” 

WFS utilizes the New Life Program created by Dr. Jean Kirkpatrick. The goal of the program is to promote behavioral change through positive reinforcement, cognitive strategies, bodywork and mindfulness, and group dynamics. 

They have in-person and online meeting offerings which you can check out here. 

11. Sober Mom Squad

Sober Mom Squad is a paid membership site dedicated to supporting sober moms juggle the weight of parenting and sobriety. Their offerings range from daily virtual meetups to a private forum, resource library, coaching, and webinars. 

Online Sobriety Support Apps

These days, you can connect with a wider sober community and get important information and support straight from your phone! Although there’s a lot of room for growth and improvement in this space, a few key players and making moves.

12. The Daybreak App

Not to be confused with the alcohol-free morning rave, Daybreaker, the Daybreak App is an online sobriety support app from Hello Sunday Morning.

It is an Australian-based community, but anyone can use the app. Unfortunately, users outside of Australia have to pay $9.99 AUD per month to access the services.

The key features of the app include:

• A secure, private, and anonymous site
• A highly responsive community (great when you’re in a moment of weakness and need to talk to someone right away)
• Backed by Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute
• Resources and tools to help you change your relationship with alcohol

13. I Am Sober App

The I Am Sober app is primarily a sobriety tracker, but it also boasts a robust and supportive community. This is a great option if you’re looking for motivation and accountability partners.

I also really like how the app helps you track how much money you’re saving by not drinking. Plus, it’s free!

14. Sober Grid App

The Sober Grid App is another online sobriety support community that provides users with tools, information, and resources to quit drinking. This one’s been around for a while.

The app combines peer support coaching with online therapeutics and a digital mental health library.

Additional Sobriety Support Spaces & Resources

Here are some big umbrella spaces you can use to find more specific, niche support. 

15. In The Rooms

In The Rooms is an online recovery platform that caters to pretty much everyone. They offer an extensive catalog of online meetings, chat forums, and resources for people in recovery. 

They have meetings for a wide range of addiction support. Examples include alcohol, overeating, crystal meth,  gambling, narcotics generally, sex addiction, and more. Additionally, you can find support groups for issues like COVID-19 long-term complications, chronic pain, and grief. 

It’s an incredible resource and 100% free to use. 

16. Meetup

Meetup is an organizing platform for local events and groups. If there’s a niche out there, Meetup probably has an event for it. 

Meetup promotes both in-person and online events (more of that latter in these times). You can search for sobriety groups within your area and see if there is something that speaks to you. 

Can’t find what you’re looking for? You can also use the platform to start your own group. 

17. Annie Grace/This Naked Mind

Annie Grace is the author of This Naked Mind and The Alcohol Experiment. She has dedicated her career to helping people change their relationship with alcohol. She has a few different program offerings (paid) for individuals who need more guided support throughout the sobriety process. 

Her two most popular programs are The Path and 100 Days of Change.

Annie’s programs are rooted heavily in neuroscience and behavioral change. The Path is a four-step program focusing on a science-based, religion-free approach to quitting drinking. It’s rooted in the science of neuroplasticity and aims to teach you critical skills to take back control of your life. 

100 Days of Change is a 100-day program that will teach you about a wide range of topics including stress management, rejecting negative beliefs about yourself, debunking common myths about alcohol, and much more. 

Soberish is a proud affiliate of Annie Grace’s programs. If you choose to purchase one of her programs, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

There’s No Right Way To Recover

There are slippery slopes, for sure, but recovery is a uniquely personal process. There’s no perfect way that works for everyone.

The aim of Soberish is to provide you with a variety of tools and resources to help guide you on your path. 

The only thing you need to do is start. For additional support, you can always join the Soberish private Facebook group. We’re a supportive, nonjudgmental bunch who understand what you’re going through. 

Wishing you a year of healing and health this year!