Sunnyside Drinking App Review

With the sober curious movement racking up millions of posts on TikTok and gaining mainstream steam, you’re not alone if your goal is to drink less without complete abstinence. 

Many Americans struggle with problem drinking and seek a healthier balance. The Sunnyside app is a drinking awareness and reduction tool that launched in 2020 and can help those wanting to approach alcohol more mindfully. 

What Is The Sunnyside App?

Sunnyside uses techniques grounded in behavioral psychology for reduction or moderation. If you are looking to become more aware of your habits, Sunnyside meets you where you are.

Some users consider Sunnyside one of the more approachable tools for reducing alcohol intake, due to its positive tone and easy-to-use features. The app focuses on drink tracking, drink logging, and drink journaling to build a customized plan that fits your life.

With an emphasis on small, yet sustainable changes, Sunnyside empowers users to make better choices without judgment. 

How Does Sunnyside Work?

Upon joining, you start with a quick quiz that helps identify your goals for drinking less. You can choose multiple options, such as “slow down the effects of aging” and “save money.” Then, the app takes the goal you’ve selected and further segments how to work toward it. 

Sunnyside ties digestible tidbits of information to the benefits of drinking less. You can choose your ideal outcome, whether fewer drinks per week or total abstinence. Next, the app creates a personalized plan including how to reach your goals, and the impact drinking less over time. 

Sunnyside has three components: weekly goals, daily motivation, and text or online coaching.]

Weekly Goal Setting

Every week, you set realistic goals for your daily drinks and drink totals. Goals are tailored to your current habits and personal health goals. You might even include a dry day if it’s in line with your objective.

Daily Motivation

Sunnyside sends you text messages and emails to keep you on track. These reminders include words of encouragement, helpful tips, and science-based insights about alcohol's effects.

The app also nudges you to log the amount of drinks consumed per day, either by text or the app, and store them in an easy-to-read chart. You will get a reminder if you haven’t logged for a certain day.

Online Coaching

You’ll also have access to coaches who provide accountability and support. It feels comforting to have human support, via text, which is available in the basic membership, and Zoom coaching, available in the premium version. Texting with a coach is easy, and the app lets you know the (often short) estimated time someone will respond, equipping you with recommendations and resources until they are available. The text responses from a coach were upbeat yet seemed fairly generic. 

Because Sunnyside isn’t solely abstinence-based, it encourages you to celebrate wins, no matter how small. Cut your usual drinks by half? Hit your weekly target? You’ll get notifications offering a little dopamine boost to keep you motivated.

Sunnyside also has a community feed, where people can note accomplishments or highly relatable struggles, like navigating drinking limits around family. Users can comment and share support. In addition to the community feed, the app offers challenges to take part in, like cutting drinking by 30% in 30 days, or a totally dry month. It’s a way to stay connected to others who are participating, while hitting something achievable and paired to your baseline.

The Power Of Drink Tracking 

Sunnyside’s drink tracking features are incredibly user-friendly. You can log your drinks daily with a tap. Over time, you’ll likely notice patterns in your drinking. Seeing your progress charted out can be a powerful catalyst to make changes. 

“Habit tracking and daily education are similar to putting a flashlight on your drinking. Suddenly, things that felt fuzzy start to make a lot more sense,” explains Madeleine Zimmerman, LCSW, Owner and Psychotherapist at Kinship Care and Therapy.

Tracking can help you examine the reason behind drinking, whether stress or habit. “It’s not about being perfect, it’s about noticing patterns. When you track without judgment, you give yourself room to know what is going on and, when ready, start to plan for some change, not because you ‘should,’ but because you want to,” Zimmerman says. 

How Much Does The Sunnyside App Cost?

Wondering if the Sunnyside app is free? Not entirely.

Each subscription offers a free quit drinking app 15-day trial period that lets you explore the features before committing. The Sunnyside app cost is pretty reasonable compared to other apps to stop drinking or professional coaching services. Currently, plans are 12 dollars per month for the regular subscription and 36 dollars per month for premium. 

What Do People Think Of Sunnyside? 

When checking out Sunnyside app reviews, people note the supportive, nonjudgmental vibe. Some users appreciate that Sunnyside emphasizes encouragement over restriction, which may feel more supportive than some abstinence-based programs. Sunnyside celebrates small improvements, like a new perspective on a holiday where you formerly drank in excess. 

One user named Adrienne told Oar Health, “As someone who does not want to give up drinking entirely, I appreciate that Sunnyside lets you track drinks without pushing an agenda.”

Similarly, users on Sunnyside app Reddit threads often praise how the app helped them gain awareness without feeling shame. Many reviewers mention how the daily motivation messages and nudges helped them stay consistent.

“One Reddit user noted their text-based coaching exchange felt ‘like a bot,’ though other users reported more helpful interactions.” 

At the time of writing, Sunnyside has 4.7 stars in the App Store and while reviews are mainly positive, some users expressed concern about submitting personal details, such as a phone number, during the signup process. A few reviewers also commented that the monthly subscription may feel high relative to the feature set.

Sunnyside’s approach feels refreshingly modern, with the understanding that drinking behavior exists on a spectrum. It recognizes that not everyone who wants to cut back is suffering from alcoholism or alcohol use disorder, and that moderation is a valid and achievable goal.

Is Sunnyside Right For You?

If you're someone who wants to receive daily motivation that feels like a pep talk, not a lecture, then Sunnyside could be helpful.

If you're looking for a hard reset from AUD, Sunnyside can be a starting point, but it doesn’t replace medical treatment or addiction therapy. For many, though, it's a perfect first step to greater self-awareness and healthier routines. 

Dr. Ola Otulana, a physician specializing in addiction at Cassiobury Court, explains, “It [Sunnyside] can be helpful for people particularly with gray area drinking—not quite dependent but aware of alcohol’s negative impact.” 

However, it might not be beneficial for those with moderate to severe alcohol dependence, who often need more support like therapy or inpatient care.

Combining Sunnyside With Naltrexone

Naltrexone, a medication that reduces the pleasurable effects of drinking, works well alone or when paired with additional behavioral support.

“This app [Sunnyside] could also be particularly valuable for those using naltrexone, as it provides a way to reinforce habit tracking and self-reflection and ultimately shape behaviors,” explains Sam Zand, psychiatrist, and founder and CEO of Anywhere Clinic. 

With thoughtful design, access to coaching, and actionable ways to curb drinking, Sunnyside app reviews shine brightly in the sober curious and moderate drinking spaces.

Are You Drinking Too Much?

Is drinking affecting your job? Is alcohol harming your health or relationships? Does your drinking worry you? Ever tried to drink less but failed?

If any of this sounds familiar, Oar Health might be right for you. Oar Health offers medication FDA-approved for the treatment of alcohol problems. A daily pill to drink less or quit.

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