A substance-tracking app is useful when its entries answer a question you actually have. It may help organize a record for yourself or a conversation with someone providing care. It cannot diagnose a condition, calculate a safe dose or replace treatment.
The examples below are illustrative situations, not Remedy customer stories or measured outcomes. We make Remedy and have a commercial interest in the product.
1. Keep dates and context together
You want to remember which days included a substance and what was happening around that time. Record the substance, the available dosage category and a note you can accurately recall. If the timing or amount matters, describe it in the note without filling gaps with guesses.
Remedy's entries use dosage levels and notes. Those levels are not measured quantities, standardized alcohol units or a personalized risk calculation. If structured quantities are essential, compare the fields in the alcohol-only app guide.
2. Distinguish no-use days from missing entries
You want a calendar that reflects what you know. Explicitly record a no-use day when appropriate; leave an unknown day unknown. A streak is a summary of recorded entries, not evidence of medical recovery or an obligation to hide a difficult day.
For a seasonal example, see what to record during Sober October.
3. Prepare for an appointment
You want to bring clearer observations to a healthcare professional. Note dates, concerns and questions, and explain where an amount is an estimate. Decide what you want to show in the appointment. Do not use a sequence of dosage categories to design a taper or change prescribed medicines yourself.
Our appointment guide suggests useful questions. A clinician may need information that your app does not capture.
4. Notice a situation worth discussing
You wonder whether certain settings appear alongside urges or use. Record the setting, thoughts or feelings and what happened next. Repetition in a diary can suggest a question, but does not prove that one factor caused another or that tracking alone will reduce use.
5. Choose the appropriate level of sharing
Local records, exported backups and Community posts are different choices. Check which features you have enabled and what you are about to share. A Community post is shared content; a description of local tracking should not imply that all app activity stays on the device.
The current local substance and journal storage uses AsyncStorage. We do not claim that these records receive app-level encryption or that no one could access them. Device protection, account access and sharing choices still matter. See the privacy checklist before deciding what to record.
Keep the tool in its proper role
NIAAA warns that suddenly stopping after prolonged heavy drinking can cause potentially life-threatening withdrawal. If this may apply to you, seek medical advice about a plan before making a change. A challenge, diary or app cannot assess that risk.
You can choose a notebook or a different app if it fits your needs better. Our comparison guide describes selection criteria and feature differences without promising health outcomes.
Keep a daily record with Remedy
Record use, no-use days and journal context.
