LGBTQ+ mental health app Voda has launched a free Sober Curiosity & Recovery hub designed to support queer people exploring sobriety or changing their relationship with alcohol and substances ahead of Pride season.

Created by LGBTQ+ therapists and clinical psychologists, the new in-app resource offers 15 self-guided practices aimed at helping users better understand patterns of substance use, cope with urges and cravings, manage comedowns and shame, and navigate social spaces while sober-curious.

The launch comes at a significant time for the LGBTQ+ community. While Pride is often associated with celebration and connection, it can also bring heightened pressure around alcohol and substance use, particularly in social environments where drinking and recreational drug use are common.

 

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Research continues to show disproportionate rates of substance use among LGBTQ+ people. According to NHS Digital, queer adults in the UK are more likely to drink alcohol at higher-risk levels than the general population. Stonewall research also found that LGBTQ+ adults are significantly more likely to use substances regularly compared with non-LGBTQ+ people.

Experts suggest these patterns are often linked not to LGBTQ+ identity itself, but to experiences of minority stress, discrimination, shame and social isolation, alongside a lack of culturally competent recovery support.

Chris Sheridan, Lead Psychotherapist at Voda, said many queer people use substances as a coping mechanism for deeper emotional struggles shaped by stigma and trauma.

“For many queer people, substance use can become a way of coping with isolation, shame, loneliness, grief and trauma,” they said. “This is why we built this hub as a starting point for our community to access inclusive support whether they’re considering cutting back, navigating recovery, or simply trying to better understand themselves.”

The hub draws on evidence-based therapeutic approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), mindfulness, narrative therapy and Internal Family Systems-informed practices. All resources are grounded in a harm reduction approach that respects individual autonomy and pace.

Jaron Soh, Co-founder and CEO of Voda, said the aim was to create accessible support for LGBTQ+ people wanting to explore sobriety that also reflects the realities of queer social life.

“For many queer people, alcohol and substance use are deeply tied to the spaces where queer life happens,” he said. “This is why we designed this hub to meet people wherever they are and give them easy-to-learn, therapy-crafted tools to explore a new relationship with alcohol and substances.”