A new app aims to help people recovering from addiction avoid environmental triggers

A new app wants to help people recovering from opioid addiction navigate their daily lives.

The app, called Hey,Charlie, learns about environmental triggers to help people avoid situations that could put their sobriety at risk, Stat News reported Tuesday.

Hey,Charlie is based on the idea that people in recovery can often fall back into old habits when they come across places or people that remind them of drug use. The app sends messages when a person enters a "risky" area or interacts with a "risky" contact. For example, the app will ask, "Are you sure you want to speak to John Smith right now?" if it sees text messages from a person associated with drug use. It can send automatic responses instead, and provides affirmative messages throughout the day.

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"The idea is that if you are aware of a potentially triggering situation before it arises, you are more mentally primed to handle it effectively," co-founder Emily Lindemer told Stat News.

Users input data when they download Hey,Charlie, and the app prompts them to add more information over time. That way, the app can update its calculated risk assessment and grow with a person as they go through recovery. The app is being piloted at several clinics around Boston, Lindemer says, and developers are working on adding a number of new features to help people overcome opioid addiction. Read more at Stat News.