A friend built Sober for himself. 750K users later, I redesigned it to help them keep going.

Sober had grown from a personal side project into a habit-breaking app used across 150 countries. But the core engagement loop was still built around one thing: a streak counter. I added community support, daily check-ins, and streak goals — increasing D7 retention by 20% and D21 retention by 24%.

Problem

The streak counter was the only reason to open the app. No engagement loop beyond the number. No reason to return on ordinary days — and no safety net when users relapsed.

Home screen. The counter stayed. The context around it changed.

The counter stayed the hero. Below it: motivation, year overview, achievements, money saved, recovery progress — all in a single scrollable layout. Users can choose from a full palette of colour themes, dark mode, or set image as background.

Community Journal. 100% anonymous. Real stories. Likes and comments.

Users write short entries about their recovery. Others respond. Fully anonymous — which was the key decision for this audience. Created a daily reason to open the app beyond the streak.

Commitments. Daily check-ins. And a human response to relapse.

7, 30, 90-day streak goals with a daily check-in. Relapse gets a human response, not a punishment — because shame is why people quit.

Impact

Retention grew every month for 8 months. No paid promotion. My friend built this to help himself drink less. Few years later — 750K users, 150+ countries, team of three.