Workplace addiction concerns fuel rise of recovery apps

• Key Insight: Discover how consumer recovery apps are migrating into employer-sponsored workplace wellness programs.
• What's at Stake: Employers risk rising healthcare costs and productivity losses without integrated digital recovery tools.
• Supporting Data: About 60 million U.S. workers report personal or family substance issues, per Pelago (2024).
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review

When Jonathan Kopp was in college, he decided it was time to quit vaping. 

"I was 19 or 20, and I'd been vaping for around six years," Kopp said. "I just quit, but I realized there were no resources for me to turn to. It was almost a bit shameful, but in my heart I knew I was not the only one having this issue." 

So, he decided to make his own resource. During a one-week hackathon — a break from classes when students work to solve a real-world issue — Kopp decided to build his own recovery app. 

He built a digital platform using the same tools that helped him quit vaping. At first, he used the app — which he built in 2019 and called Quit Vaping — for personal support, but later uploaded it to Apple's App Store. Within a day, he got around 1,000 downloads, and Kopp knew he was on to something. 

"I actually dropped out of college for six months just to build it," he said. 

Kopp later launched two more apps — Quit Drinking and Pouchless — through his digital telehealth platform Quitly, and today they have surpassed a combined three million downloads globally on the app store.

Provided

His next project? Entering the employee benefit space. Kopp wants his collection of recovery tools to be a part of workplace wellness strategies, helping employees reduce substance dependence while lowering long-term healthcare costs and improving productivity. 

This expansion, he said, reflects a broader shift toward digital-first rehabilitation and telehealth services, where employers play a growing role in preventive and behavioral health support. 

"It's the natural next step for our business," he said. "We've proven it works in the consumer marketplace, and I think it is something that people need in the workplace." 

How it works

Kopp's applications provide autonomous, structured recovery pathways using cognitive behavioral therapy, habit tracking, goal-setting tools and personalized quit plans designed to support long-term behavioral change. The platform enables users to track progress, build daily routines, connect with peer communities and receive guided coaching tailored to their recovery goals.

The apps are free, but some of the premium tools are paywalled. 

"My favorite one is the community," Kopp said. "It really shows that you're not doing this alone. There are other people who have the addiction, teamed up and quit together, and hold each other accountable."

Provided

Despite the expansion of digital tools and other resources, substance abuse continues to have a major impact on the workers' health and productivity. Around 60 million American workers report personal or family problems involving substance or alcohol use, with 38% also experiencing mental health-related absences, according to a 2024 study by Pelago. 

The report by the digital health company — which offers virtual treatment programs for substance use disorders — also found that 42% of employees have missed work due to personal or family substance use issues. More than half of employees (54%) aren't comfortable asking for help, often due to shame or humiliation.

Getting help

While Kopp's recovery apps are not intended to replace in-person treatment or support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, he pointed out that they can serve as an initial step for people seeking help. 

"The first step is just admitting you have an issue … that's like half of beating addiction," Kopp said. "That one action alone sets the tone for the rest of your journey."

Kopp, who has been "vape-free" now for seven years, hopes that his recovery apps will gain traction in the workplace. "People are turning away from smoking, and they're vaping," he said. "At the end of the day, an addiction is an addiction. It's unhealthy, and it would be nice for a company to offer (the apps) for their employees to show they care."