A survey of over 1,000 people in recovery on what has actually helped, how they define success, and how their needs change across the recovery journey

BENTONVILLE, AR, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Sober Sidekick, the digital recovery support platform by Empathy Health Technologies, today published the 2026 State of Recovery, a survey of 1,047 people in recovery conducted in September 2026.

Respondents were asked to define what success in their recovery journey looks like. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 62% named staying drug and alcohol free as what matters most. What is more interesting is that just 18% named staying alcohol or drug free alone. The rest paired it with mental and emotional wellbeing, along with stability, purpose and rebuilt relationships.

The gap is a moment, not a service line
Eighty-four percent said the system falls short somewhere, but no single shortcoming drew more than 15% overall. The explanation is that the gap moves depending on where someone is in their journey. Among respondents in their first month of recovery, help during cravings and high-risk moments was the top gap at 22%.

Among those between one and five years in, it falls to 4%, displaced by affordable access and long-term support after formal treatment ends. That shift is the argument for treating recovery as what it actually is, a longitudinal journey whose needs evolve over time rather than a single episode of care.

Recovery journeys look different depending on the substance
Respondents in recovery from drugs were roughly twice as likely as those in recovery from alcohol to credit a treatment program (36% against 18%) and medication (25% against 8%). Digital tools were the single support used at almost identical rates by both groups, at 43% and 42%, making them one of the few front doors that works the same way regardless of substance.

The members who have tried the most are the most cynical
Respondents who had reset their sobriety timer three or more times were the least likely to say that being able to get help when they need it matters to their success, at 18% against 31% among those with fewer resets. They were also half as likely to credit a treatment program, at 11% against 23%.

That finding speaks to the cynicism that builds for people who have been through programs several times and come out the other side again. It is also a direct instruction on how to show up for them. Members who have tried to get sober repeatedly need empathy and persistence from whoever reaches them next, not another offer that sounds like the ones that did not hold.

Most of what helps is not clinical
Asked what has helped their recovery most, respondents named family and friends (40%), digital tools and recovery apps (38%) and faith (37%) ahead of therapy (27%), treatment programs (21%) and medication (11%). Sixty percent selected no formal clinical support of any kind.

Asked separately for the first source of support that came to mind, 34% named a peer or community source and 12% named the formal treatment system, a figure that already includes therapists, physicians, medication, drug court and named treatment centers.

About the survey:
The 2026 State of Recovery is based on 1,047 responses collected from the Sober Sidekick community in September 2026, spanning members in their first weeks of recovery through those with more than five years. The full report, including methodology, breakdowns by substance and tenure, and verbatim responses, is available at sobersidekick.com.

About Sober Sidekick
Sober Sidekick, by Empathy Health Technologies, is a digital recovery support platform with more than 1.5 million downloads. The platform provides 24/7 peer-to-peer support, community engagement, and recovery tracking, and is designed to extend care beyond clinical settings and support longitudinal recovery. Users who form social connections show 93 to 244 percent increases in sustained engagement compared to baseline, including a validated 48 percent reduction in self-reported relapse for users who engage with peers at least once. Learn more at sobersidekick.com.

Jeff Goe
Empathy Health Technologies Inc.
jeff@sobersidekick.com
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