People Who Cheered Others On Recovered Better: Surprising Data from an Addiction App

Even while struggling with their own recovery, some people still cheer on and encourage others.

It’s not unusual in QuitMate’s community. Someone who’s been resetting their own counter over and over will see another user write “two weeks today” and reply “congratulations.” On an “I slipped again” post, they’ll write “I’ve been there too — let’s keep going together.” That person is, by their own situation, barely holding it together. And yet they post.

Looking at the data turned up something interesting.

The people writing the comments were recovering more than the people receiving them.

The data on the side that wrote

Studies of community effects usually focus on the side that received comments. It’s intuitive that people who get encouraged stick with it longer. Encouragement is energy.

The score that came in higher than expected was on the side that wrote.

Active users (599 total*) were divided by how many comments they had written on others’ posts. Categories include gambling, alcohol, overeating, pornography, and tobacco — all of QuitMate’s tracks.

Comments on others’ posts	Number of users	Median streak (days)
0	364	29
1-2	114	36
3-9	81	77
10+	40	114

People who wrote more comments had clearly longer streaks. From 29 days at zero comments to 114 days at ten or more — about 4x.

The people who reach out to others, who connect with others, are the people sustaining longer streaks.

This pattern has parallels with practices that go back nearly a century.

What’s been known for 90 years

The largest addiction self-help fellowship in the world is AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). Its twelfth and final step asks members to “carry the message to other alcoholics.” People who’ve recovered help the next person. That structure has been in place since 1935.

Research has shown that altruistic behavior among AA members is associated with sustained sobriety. Helping creates the felt sense of “I have something to offer,” and that sense, in turn, actually contributes to staying sober. The first time someone tries to quit, they’re usually alone. They’ve been holding it in, unable to tell anyone. Even a brief word of encouragement at that point can carry enormous weight.

What’s happening in QuitMate’s community might be a digital version of that structure. Writing one comment connects you to others working on the same goal. The person writing and the person reading both find some encouragement that “I’m not alone.” Mutual support.

Not causation. But still.

This data alone doesn’t prove causation.

People who write may be more motivated. They may have lighter cases. Whether “writing led to recovery” or “people likely to recover also write more” can’t be settled with this data alone.

What’s clearly there is a correlation between the number of comments written and streak length. Practices and research going back 90 years point in the same direction. Contributing to others, connecting with others — these are clues for recovery.

One sentence is enough

Three comments raise the median from 29 days to 77 days. Ten or more comments brings it to 114.

“You’re doing great.” “I’ve been there.” “I get it.” “Rooting for you.”

You read someone’s post and write one sentence in response. That, in turn, may be supporting your own recovery.

If you can’t seem to quit, if no number of attempts seems to stick, if you’re feeling off recently — try, on faith, cheering somebody on.

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Data: based on 599 QuitMate app users (registered for at least 6 months, used the app on 8 or more days during the first 14 days of registration, and DAU coverage of 40% or higher across the period). “Comments” counts those written on other people’s posts within the first 14 days of registration (replies to one’s own posts excluded). “Streak length” is the median of each user’s longest sober streak.

References

• Kelly JF, Humphreys K, Ferri M. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs for alcohol use disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020; Issue 3.
• Pagano ME et al. Helping other alcoholics in Alcoholics Anonymous and drinking outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2004.