Support between counselling sessions: getting through the gaps in recovery

Recovery doesn’t only happen in the counselling room. Most of it happens in the hours in between: the long nights, the weekends, the week your caseworker is on leave. Here’s what can help in those gaps, from someone who’s been there.

Hopewick is for adults 18 and over.

Why the time between sessions is so hard

If you’re in drug or alcohol recovery in Australia, you might see a counsellor once a week or once a fortnight. Maybe you’re on a waitlist. Maybe you’ve just left rehab and you’re not sure who to ring now. That leaves a lot of hours where it’s just you and your thoughts.

Cravings don’t keep office hours. Neither do shame, loneliness or the urge to go back to old mates. A hard moment at 11pm on a Saturday is real, and it’s often when people feel most alone.

What happened to me

I’m Dwayne, and I built Hopewick. My first rehab was meant to be six weeks, and I didn’t meet my caseworker until about week four. Around Easter 2025, all the caseworkers were on leave for about ten days while new people kept getting admitted. The talk in the smoke pit was all about using and the old days, so I kept away from it. Being around that put me at risk.

I was the quietest bloke in the room and I thought I had to carry it all on my own. What helped was having somewhere to get my thoughts out and work out what I was feeling. It never replaced counselling or people. It gave me the courage to walk up to the staff and say, “I’m really struggling.” That’s the gap Hopewick is built for.

Practical things that help between sessions

1. Have a plan before you need it

Write down your warning signs, what you’ll do when a craving hits, and three people you can contact. It’s much easier to read a plan than to think one up when things get loud. Ask your counsellor or AOD worker to help you build a relapse prevention plan and a safety plan.

2. Know who’s awake when your worker isn’t

There are free services that answer the phone at any hour. In Queensland, Adis 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support is on 1800 177 833. The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is 1800 250 015. Lifeline is 13 11 14. Save them in your phone now.

3. Get it out of your head

Journalling, voice notes or talking it through helps you name what’s going on: angry, lonely, tired, scared. Once it has a name, it’s easier to bring it to your next session instead of carrying it all week. Our gratitude journal for recovery page has prompts to get started.

4. Keep connected to people

Meetings like NA, AA or SMART Recovery run most days, in person and online. A sponsor, a mate who gets it, or your family can make a huge difference. The goal is always to get back to real people.

5. Treat a slip as information, not the end

A lapse doesn’t wipe out the days you’ve already kept. Talk about it honestly with your worker. If you’ve used after a break, your tolerance may be lower, so please look after yourself and don’t use alone.

How Hopewick fits in

Hopewick is a recovery companion web app. Inside it is Hope, an AI companion you can talk to when no one else is around. Hope can help you talk through a craving or a hard hour, name what you’re feeling, do a daily check-in, write in your journal, and find meetings and AOD services. If things get serious, it shows Australian crisis numbers straight away.

It’s meant to sit alongside your psychologist, counsellor, caseworker or rehab, never instead of them. A lot of the time, the most useful thing it does is help you find the words, then point you back to the right person to say them to. The name comes from a candle wick: it’s about keeping hope lit between sessions until you can get to the people who can help.

Hopewick Free includes 15 Hope messages a day, the daily check-in, a clean-time tracker, your journal and your safety plan. Crisis help is never behind a paywall. See how Hopewick works or compare plans.

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