National Recovery Month: How Alcohol Monitoring Products Can Help Support Long-Term Sobriety

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. If you have questions about DUI laws or charges, consult a qualified professional. For immediate assistance about alcohol monitoring tools, contact Keepr^® at (833) 743-5969.

Ready to make sobriety part of your lifestyle? Learn more about tools that can help support alcohol accountability and help you make changes.

If you’re taking stock of your life – something we all do occasionally - you may be reevaluating some of your habits, including drinking. You’re not alone. A study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds approximately 20 million people in the U.S. have a substance use problem.

Sobriety accountability can be a path to help you take responsibility for your drinking and create change. And if you really want to take that journey to the next level, sobriety accountability tools may offer additional support.

But what are sobriety accountability tools, and how do they work? In honor of National Recovery Month, an annual event designed to raise awareness about mental health and substance use disorders, let’s explore the world of sobriety accountability tools. Read on to learn more about how these tools can help support you on your path to sobriety.

What Are Sobriety Accountability Tools?

Sobriety accountability tools are solutions you can use to enhance your sobriety journey and make you more aware of your triggers around alcohol use. Whether you use a digital tool, an app, or an old-school notebook, the end goal remains the same: to document your alcohol habits so you can feel empowered to make long-lasting change.

The types of sobriety accountability tools can include:

• Recovery and sobriety apps
• Online support groups
• Personal breathalyzers
• Ignition interlock devices
• Alcohol monitoring bracelets
• Sober journaling

According to a recent study from the Department of Health and Human Services, online technologies can enhance the outcomes for substance users in recovery, with one in 10 participants in the National Recovery Study relying on recovery-related use of online technology to support their sobriety efforts.

How Do Sobriety Accountability Tools Work?

Though you have a variety of tools you can choose to work with, they generally follow the same format. Here’s how sobriety accountability tools support your sobriety journey:

Illuminating Your Alcohol Use

Each tool has its own way of showing you exactly how much you drink. This may come as a surprise if you think you don’t drink that much but the tool tells you otherwise.

With an app or a journal, you’ll likely be logging every drink that you have by the days, weeks, and months. In an online support group, you’ll be encouraged to share your habits with the group. And with a breathalyzer or ignition interlock device, you’ll get an audible cue and a log of your intake each time you use the device.

Seeing the data behind those numbers, reading those logs, or hearing yourself admit out loud how much you drink can create a catalyst moment that spurs you to change.

Showing a Pattern

When you log your alcohol use, you may see drinking patterns emerge. Maybe you drink at the same time each day after work. Or you have regular stressors in your life that lead you to drink. Perhaps you drink a lot more when you travel, or on weekends.

Over time, seeing your habits may help you identify the triggers behind why you drink. This can help you to alleviate or stop the triggers before they start, so you can redirect the pattern.

Helping You Set Goals

Once you can clearly see your alcohol habits and triggers, you may make more effective goals to support your sobriety. Your goals may include:

• Reducing the number of drinks you have each day, week, or month
• Finding a new way to address triggers that you’d normally solve by drinking
• Changing the type of alcohol that you drink, like switching from hard liquor to beer
• Scheduling activities that interrupt habitual triggers, so you do something other than drinking
• Confining your drinking to certain situations, like holidays or special occasions
• Creating a plan to become completely sober, and maintaining your sobriety

Choose goals that work for your specific situation and advance your personal sobriety journey. Once you decide the goals you’d like to achieve, you can log them in your sobriety app or journal. You can also add reminders in your calendar to help keep you on track.

Planning to Meet Your Goals

Knowing your goals can help you create a plan to reach them. You can pick the goal or goals that mean the most to you, then think ahead to help achieve those goals.

For example, if you know work stresses you out and you tend to drink after work, you can schedule something to do after work that may help keep you away from drinking. Options can include:

• Playing a sport
• Meeting up with a sober accountability group
• Taking an art class
• Scheduling a therapy session

This is why knowing your triggers and patterns is key. Once you know all the “whys” behind your drinking, and you can create the goals to help change your habits and make plans to divert and disrupt those patterns to help support lasting change.

Being a More Active Participant in Your Recovery

Sobriety accountability tools can make you a more active participant in your own recovery by helping encourage you to log your triggers, behaviors, cravings, and stressors. This can give you a clearer picture of not just how you drink, but why you drink. It may also make you more engaged in your sobriety journey.

Using Keepr as a Sober Accountability Tool

Whatever your reason for managing your sobriety, Keepr’s line of products is designed to help support your journey.

Keepr is a simple, discreet, and affordable way to verify sobriety. Using the same fuel-cell technology found in regulated systems, Keepr provides an objective, real-time, reliable read on breath alcohol concentration in seconds.

The Keepr Line of Sobriety Products

Using the Keepr solution that works best for your goals can help you monitor your alcohol use and track trends.

Keepr Breathalyzer

The Keepr Breathalyzer is a compact, discreet wireless device that gives you an accurate* BrAC reading in seconds.

*Accuracy level of Keepr device readings is ±0.005 within a range of 0.010 to 0.050 g/210L

Keepr Alcohol Monitoring

Keepr Alcohol Monitoring is a complete alcohol monitoring system combining the Keepr breathalyzer, guided YourKeepr mobile app, and powerful monitoring portal to deliver clear results.

Keepr Drive

Keepr Drive connects the Keepr Breathalyzer to your vehicle's ignition system, requiring a passing breath sample before the car will start when enabled. If your BrAC comes in under the administrator’s pre-set limit, the car starts. If it doesn't, it won't.

Why Use Keepr as a Sobriety Accountability Tool

Built from nearly four decades of experience in alcohol detection technology, there are plenty of benefits when you use Keepr as a sobriety accountability tool:

• Trustworthy results: Keepr is designed to provide accurate results, with BrAC readings measured down to a thousandth of a gram/210L. Results are displayed in seconds, so you can make empowered decisions in real time.
• Accurate trend tracking: Our simple and intuitive mobile app keeps track of your result history. Not only can you see trends over time, you can also track your progress.
• Discreet design: Keepr is designed to help reduce stigma. It doesn’t look like a typical breathalyzer, making it easier for you to test your BrAC anywhere, anytime.
• 24+ hour battery life: A long-lasting battery means you have reliable performance when you need it, allowing for more options for testing.
• Designed for your needs: Keepr is a flexible solution that you can use however you need it, ranging from court-ordered monitoring to supporting your sobriety journey.
• Transparent pricing: Subscriptions start at $79 per month, with multiple plan options depending on your budget and needs.

How to Use the Keepr Breathalyzer

In addition to all the benefits that Keepr provides, it’s also super easy to use. Just follow these steps:

• Step one: Give a breath sample.
  Provide a fast and easy breath sample using your device.
• Step two: Get your BrAC result.
  Keepr analyzes your breath alcohol content in seconds and results appear on the device display.
• Step three: Decide your next move.
  Use the result however it's helpful; plan your evening, check in with your support system, or simply track where you stand.

Using Keepr Drive to Help Reduce Impaired Driving

Keepr Drive is another valuable tool you can rely on to support your sobriety journey. Keepr Drive makes it easier for you to test on the go, especially if your habits are linked to driving.

Your Keepr Drive kit comes with three things:

• Keepr Breathalyzer
• Car Installation Kit
• Keepr Drive 3-Month Free Trial

Keepr Drive needs to be installed by a professional at one of our certified automotive service center partners and may require a separate fee to complete. This ensures your system is connected correctly and ready to use. You can work with one of our trusted certified automotive service center partners – call (833) 743-5969 for more information.

Alcohol Accountability Benefits of Keepr Drive

Keepr Drive comes with a variety of benefits including:

• Fast and easy testing: You can get objective alcohol readings in seconds, so you can make empowered decisions in a near instant.
• Multiple testing modes: With on-demand, scheduled, or ignition-based testing, you can test from anywhere, whether you’re inside or outside the car.
• Configurable access: Keepr Drive allows you to set which drivers are required to provide a sample, and when it’s required. You can also enable or disable Keepr Drive at any time.
• Discreet, easy testing: With a simple, handheld design and an intuitive interface, Keepr Drive fits seamlessly into your daily routines.
• Test history and sharing: Every test creates an automatic, time-stamped log that gives you the option to share with trusted partners, so you can maintain accountability.

How to Use Keepr Drive

Keepr Drive is also quick and simple to use. Just follow these steps:

• Step one: Take a breath sample.
  Provide a breath sample quickly and discreetly from the Keepr device.
• Step two: Calculate your BrAC result.
  Keepr analyzes your breath alcohol content in seconds and delivers results to your mobile device.
• Step three: Drive or wait.
  If your result is below the limit set by the administrator, your car will start. If it’s not, the car won’t start.

Keepr Can Help You Meet Your National Recovery Month Goals

Choosing to become sober can be one of the biggest decisions you make in your lifetime. But it’s not a journey you have to face alone. Remember, recovery is a lifelong process.

As a recent study published by the National Library of Medicine says, the key factors that support long-term recovery spanning 12 years or more are 12-step organizations, negative consequences for substance use, and social and community support.

In addition to leaning on your friends and family, or your sobriety accountability team if you have one, you can also count on Keepr’s line of products. You can add the Keepr Breathalyzer, Keepr Alcohol Monitoring, or Keepr Drive to your sober accountability toolkit, and use our resources as a helpful guide along your sobriety journey.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For immediate assistance about alcohol monitoring tools, contact Keepr^® at (833) 743-5969.