Sunnyside

What it is

Sunnyside is an alcohol-moderation platform built on the premise that change works better when it combines medication, habit change, community, and coaching. The service merges telemedicine prescription access to naltrexone (a medication FDA-approved in 1994 to support alcohol moderation) with a behavior-change app, group support, and access to real human coaches. Founded in 2020 by Nick Allen and Ian Andersen, both children of alcoholic parents, the service is delivered entirely through the app and telemedicine visits rather than in-person locations.

How it works: the app and the community

The core is a mobile app available on both iOS and Android, positioned as an everyday tool for tracking and gradually shifting drinking habits. Every Sunday, the app generates a personalized weekly plan, and users pre-commit to their week ahead to help solidify intent. The app includes built-in drink tracking, which Sunnyside frames as the foundation of habit change, made simple and fun through its design.

Beyond tracking, the app surfaces progress in terms that matter to individual users: reductions in total drinks, dry days, hangovers, and sleep quality. It pulls in peer support through a lively community feature, where users give and get support in what the site calls a vibrant Sunnyside community. Users can join this space to cultivate a positive mindset every day.

The platform also offers resources and exercises available on demand: videos, habit tools, and educational materials designed to keep users motivated when temptation or doubt arrives. If someone wants more than the app alone provides, real human coaching is available through text message. These are not AI coaches but actual people, trained by Sunnyside's experts, who have themselves gone through alcohol moderation journeys. Coaching is optional, not mandatory, and the company emphasizes that it is entirely up to the user whether to reach out.

Sunnyside also holds a 30-day money-back guarantee: if a user gives it a fair shot and is not happy after a month, they can request a refund, no questions asked.

The medication layer: naltrexone and the telehealth side

Sunnyside Med is the company's telehealth arm, where licensed medical providers can prescribe compounded naltrexone to help reduce alcohol cravings. Naltrexone works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain, which reduces the pleasurable effects of alcohol and decreases cravings. The company prescribes a compounded oral formulation.

The prescription process is private and conducted through telemedicine. The site emphasizes that Sunnyside Med is not a substitute for emergency services or inpatient treatment. If someone is in crisis or experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms, the site directs them to SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or to call 911.

Evidence and outcomes

The company publishes results from both internal data and clinical research. In a 2024 study called the ACER Study, Sunnyside demonstrated a 33 percent reduction in weekly alcohol consumption over 12 weeks. This is the kind of specific clinical claim the company grounds in a named, dated study rather than leaving as marketing speak.

Internally, Sunnyside reports that 96.7 percent of members successfully drink less, with 90 percent reporting reduced binge drinking, 87 percent fewer hangovers, 75 percent improved mental health, 81 percent better management of cravings, and 73 percent improved sleep. The company also reports 600,000 plus people helped since launching, and a 4.8 rating on app store reviews.

The site is clear that these are results from real people like the reader, and it positions them as proven results that last. It does not claim these results apply to everyone or promise specific outcomes for any individual.

Pricing and how to access

Sunnyside offers two plans with a free 15-day trial that includes every feature, no credit card required upfront. The Basic plan, targeted at people ready to drink a bit less but not to quit entirely, costs 8 dollars and 25 cents per month when billed annually at 99 dollars per year. The Cutback Coach plan, for people wanting a more personalized experience and hands-on coaching, costs 24 dollars and 83 cents per month when billed annually at 298 dollars per year.

Both plans include easy drink tracking, weekly planning, analytics and a personal dashboard, personalized recommendations, real human coaching access, supportive community, a focus on moderation without judgment, an affordable price point, text message interface, and the daily habit tools. The company emphasizes that every feature is included in both plans, so the difference is primarily in the level of coaching support and personalization.

The site does not name an insurance billing process or explain whether plans cover the service. The structure is direct payment or credit card, with annual billing as the default. The 15-day free trial lets a user test the app and see the community before committing financially.

What Sunnyside does not address

The site does not clearly explain how naltrexone prescription access works within the two-plan structure. It is unclear whether both plans include access to telemedicine prescribing through Sunnyside Med, whether one plan includes it and the other does not, or whether medication is an add-on cost. A reader interested in the medication side needs to request access or sign up to see details not published on the marketing site.

The company also does not specify therapist or coach credentials beyond saying they are trained by Sunnyside's experts and have personal recovery experience. It does not state how quickly a user can connect with a coach after signing up, whether coaches are available 24/7, or whether messaging-based support is the only option.

Sunnyside does not name which states it operates in or whether there are any geographic restrictions, though the U.S. mention and the lack of state-specific language suggests nationwide availability. For someone outside the United States, access is unclear.

Who it fits and who it does not

Sunnyside is built for someone who wants to moderate their drinking rather than necessarily quit entirely. The company's messaging repeatedly emphasizes that there is no pressure to quit and that mindful drinking is about celebrating wins, not shame or guilt.

It fits someone who responds to tracking and data: the app gives feedback on progress in concrete terms (drinks cut, sleep improved, hangover-free days), and for people motivated by numbers and visible change, that can be powerful. It fits someone who wants community: the peer support feature is central, and the company emphasizes that it builds connection among people on the same journey.

It fits someone with a smartphone and a reliable internet connection, since the service is app-first and coaching is text-based. It fits someone who can afford 99 dollars annually for the basic plan or 298 dollars annually for coaching, and who is willing to try a 15-day free trial first to see if the app's approach resonates.

It may not fit someone who wants to quit drinking completely and needs abstinence-focused care, though the site does not exclude that outcome, and the support available could align with it. It does not fit someone in an acute crisis or experiencing active withdrawal: the site explicitly directs such cases to call 911 or the SAMHSA National Helpline.

It does not fit someone without consistent digital access, someone who distrusts apps or prefers phone-based or in-person therapy, or someone who has not responded to previous medication-based approaches. It does not fit someone seeking in-person treatment facilities or residential programs, as Sunnyside is entirely remote and app-based.

Someone paying out of pocket needs the annual cost to be reasonable. Someone hoping insurance will cover it should ask their plan directly, and should confirm that telemedicine naltrexone prescribing is covered, as coverage varies widely and some plans do not cover telehealth prescriptions for alcohol moderation.

The company's grounding in expert partnerships

Sunnyside publishes partnerships with named medical and behavioral health leaders. Dr. Hrishikesh Belani serves as Associate Medical Director of the South Los Angeles Health Center Group. Kate Bonham holds credentials MS LPCC LADC (a mental health and chemical health specialist). Nir Eyal is described as a world-renowned habit expert and best-selling author of Hooked and Indistractable. Dr. Adi Jaffe holds a PhD, is CEO of IGNTD, and authored The Abstinence Myth. These partnerships ground the platform in expertise beyond the founding team, and the site uses them to substantiate its claims that the approach is effective and safe.

The company is also a partner of Moderation Management, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing harm from alcohol misuse, which situates Sunnyside within a broader recovery ecosystem rather than as an isolated commercial service.