SOBER.

ME

A SOBER LIFESTYLE APP DESIGNED TO CREATE HEALTHIER HABITS

_______________

A Capstone Proposal

Presented to the

Faculty of CST 499 at

California State University, Monterey Bay

_______________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science

in

Computer Science

_______________

by

Amber Beebe

December 2021
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Copyright © 2021
by
Amber Beebe
All Rights Reserved
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL

Sobriety Counter Application

by
Amber Beebe
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
California State University Monterey Bay, 2021

The purpose of this proposal is to describe the capstone project which will serve as

cumulative justification for the student’s accomplishment of the Bachelors of Science in the

Computer Science program. As such, this project will demonstrate an aptitude in multiple skills,

several programming languages, software development best practices, and delivery of a

minimally viable product to satisfy the course requirements.

The project, a Sobriety Counter application, is a full stack application which gives

everyday people access to technology which allows them to take a temporary break from

drinking alcohol, through the use of the app’s gamification features, such as goals or challenges.

The application is based on the idea that there are more and more people looking to make

healthier decisions, which includes taking an alternative approach to life - sans alcohol. I found

this to be true for myself when I completed my first Sober September, accompanied by friends

and family members for support. I was inspired by the way that I felt after the 30 days and would

use a simple “countdown” to track how many days left to complete. I think there are many

people who are curious about what taking a break from drinking could do for their overall well

being, either from a financial standpoint, a psychological one, or a physical one, but lack the

tools or the awareness to try.

In summary, the primary purpose of this application is to serve as a means of

accountability for anyone who uses it, discipline to commit to one’s goals, and motivation to

exceed one's expectations through taking on a challenge.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 2
LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................3
PART
I BACKGROUND AND APPROACH ...............................................................5
Introduction ..................................................................................................5
Project Name and Description .........................................................5
Issue: Giving Users a Community .........................................5
Solution: Sobriety Daily Counter Application ...........................6
Project Goals and Objectives .......................................................................6
Goals ................................................................................................6
Objectives ........................................................................................6
Environmental Scan .....................................................................................7
Stakeholders and Community ......................................................................8
Approach and Methodology ........................................................................9
II ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS ...............................................9
Ethical Considerations .................................................................................9
Legal Considerations ...................................................................................10
III PROJECT SCOPE ...........................................................................................10
Timeline and Budget ..................................................................................11
Resources ...................................................................................................11
Milestones ..................................................................................................12
Risks and Dependencies ............................................................................12
Final Deliverables ......................................................................................12
Usability Testing and Evaluation ...............................................................12
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................14
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PART I

BACKGROUND AND APPROACH

Introduction

Project Name and Description

The purpose of the project and application Sober Counter, is to create an application that

gives its users the ability to take a break from drinking alcohol.

Issue: Giving Users a Community

The problem this app will be solving is that for people who have ever been “sober

curious”, are wondering about the benefits of cutting out alcohol for a short time can provide for

them, or are looking for a way to challenge themselves with a goal, this app will be the door that

opens into that world for them. Sobriety or abstaining from alcohol can be associated with a lot

of social stigma, where people who identify as being “sober” or who are interested in cutting

back on their drinking can sometimes be made to feel like they have a serious problem, which

might shame them into not trying in the first place. The recommended amount of safe alcohol

consumption for most adults is 2 drinks per night for men and 1 for women. This is a standard

that most are familiar with. Realistically most people find it difficult to follow these

recommendations. The alcohol industry is responsible for creating a culture that revolves around

drinking as a means of relaxing from a long day, enjoying time with friends, or even as a hobby

(see the craft beer industry). Even as a society we have come to accept drinking as the “norm”

for most social events and even for some religious events. This can make people feel like they

might not be accepted by their friends or be judged for going against this norm by experimenting

with sobriety. Over the past several years, many have started to ask themselves if drinking is
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really having a positive impact on their quality of life. Thirty day challenges, such as “Dry

January” or “Sober September” have been growing in popularity.

Solution: Sobriety Daily Counter Application

What this app will do is give users the means, information, and resources to start their

own challenge at any time. It will also give people access to a community where they can feel a

part of a larger group of like minded people, tips for staying sober, and visual data for tracking

progress. This app will provide a holistic approach to live a healthier lifestyle.

Project Goals and Objectives

Goals

The goals of this project are to:

● Shift the public attitudes towards sobriety or sober living in general

● Provide a safe space for users to make healthier, lasting changes to their lifestyles

● Give users a community to be able to share stories and experiences

● See their own progress over time as they hit milestones of their challenge

Objectives

● User account creation and login: The front end will be hosted using React as the

front-end and a Java Springboot REST service will serve as the backend.

● Create challenge with/without time limit

● Track challenge: will include number of days completed, number of days remaining,

daily motivational quotes.

● Daily reminder to check in through SMS or notification service

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● Check in tracking with journal: Journaling will be a simple component. Journal entries

will be saved to the database.

● Progress reporting: data will be stored in a MySQL database. Data will be stored as

transactional tables, but will be aggregated to produce reports over time. Data will be

organized by user id.

● SOS button: The SOS button will notify the person you designate as your “lifevest” to

call or check in with you if you feel that you want to give up on your challenge. This

feature creates accountability.

Additional Features

● User community

● Group messaging

● Get matched to a support group

● Personal assistant bot

Environmental Scan

I have found that there are other apps that are similar to my concept. The most popular

app in the Apple App Store when searching for “sober tracker” is an app called I Am Sober. This

app has basic tracking functionality and motivational prompts. What this app has that

differentiates itself from the other sober apps is a feature rich user community that allows users

to interact with each other and discover popular tips for staying on track. What I found was

missing in most of the apps available was analytics showing me my progress over time and the

positive impacts it is having on my overall well being. Digging through user forums and blogs,

it’s clear that cutting out alcohol typically leads to weight loss, better sleep, mental clarity, and so

on, but what I will put into the app is a way for users to log these changes as they are happening
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to be able to see the improvement over time, thus keeping them motivated to come back to the

app and to stack on track.

The basis for my concept came from an article published by NPR. The article is titled,

“​​Breaking the booze habit, even briefly, has its benefits” and explains how sober challenges and

sober curiosity are coming into the public awareness (Fulton & Aubrey, 2019). The article then

walks through all of the great benefits that even 30 days can provide from taking a break from

drinking, such as “one thing that was noticeable to pretty much everybody was my overall health

and, like, my skin, my eyes. ... I lost weight” (Fulton & Aubrey, 2019). Another relevant source

is cited here as well. The article describes a series of studies conducted by the National Institute

on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as well as a study conducted in the Netherlands to document

the biochemical effects of one month of alcohol abstinence.

Stakeholders and Community

The primary stakeholders for this project are the external users who are not affiliated with

California State Monterey Bay. However, it is worth noting that amongst the other stakeholders

included are the internal stakeholders, the project owner and California State University

Monterey Bay.

CSU Monterey Bay has invested both time and resources into creating this program and

the requirements of this major. This capstone, being the culmination of all of those investments,

will serve as a return for the school, once the student has demonstrated a proficiency in the

computer science degree.

Likewise, it is in the student’s best interest to take a key stake in the ownership of this

project in order to pass the class, earn her computer science degree, and continue into a career of
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software development. The quality and legitimacy of this project should be resume worthy, so

that the student can use the work produced as certifiable evidence of her skills.

Finally, the users of the application will be stakeholders. Once live, the application will

be subject to feedback and improvement. Users should be able to submit their own opinions of

how they feel the application should work for them. This will be the best way to ensure that the

application has the best user experience possible.

Approach and Methodology

The user experience I would like to achieve will be sort of a trickle effect. I do not want

to throw too much information on the user as soon as they open the app. I want it to feel very

personalized to who they are and build the experience around that. I want to gradually grant

access to more of the interface and features as needed. The app will have a modern, playful feel

to it, that will draw on colors that evoke health and well being. If I have time I would also like to

have some kind of personal assistant component.

In addition to the applications brand, I will use Agile development methods to compose a

list of stories and map these to my objectives in order to create a minimum viable product.

PART II

ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

Ethical Considerations

This app is carefully branded as a “lifestyle application” for reasons specific to the ethical

and legal implications of using it. From an ethical perspective, is it right to assume that a user's

alcohol dependency might be “cured” or made more manageable through the use of a simplistic,

tracking app. Also, this consideration cannot neglect the fact that there are less resources

available to low income families or individuals for help with managing addiction. Furthermore,
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low-income individuals or individuals who live in poverty are more likely to turn to substance

abuse as an emotional and coping mechanism. Is it therefore morally right to create an app that

only serves the needs of those who are already more likely to have access to resources for getting

help: a community, circle of support, family, friends, financial security, and so on? In targeting

the “sober curious” we purposefully neglect those in margins, such as serious addicts or people

who routinely abuse alcohol. It is worth noting however, that the app will not be restricted in any

way to any user who chooses to use it, but that the experience might not be suitable for

individuals who have a serious addiction.

I would also like to be mindful of how I approach any research of this topic, first account

interviews, or development feedback, as I do not wish this subject to trigger any negative

feelings or impressions of what the app provides. I also recognize that others' opinions are out of

my control, but I will still try to be sensitive with who I approach when discussing this subject.

Some may view “sobriety” as something negative or derogatory. This is all speculation, but from

an ethical standpoint, I want to be respectful and neutral in the approach.

Legal Considerations

One major legal consideration is to stay firmly on the side of a lifestyle app. The app does

not claim to be a medical platform, offer the advice of a medical professional, or prescribe any

cure.

PART III

PROJECT SCOPE

Timeline and Budget

There is no budget for the project due to the circumstances of which this project is being

completed. As this is a personal project and is not funded by the school or by any other
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organization, the project will have to be done using free, open source, or low budget options.

Thanks to commodity hardware and the convenience of the cloud, it is possible to deploy a web

application to Amazon Web Services for little to no cost. Most services offer a “free” tier,

however they are not designed for scale. If AWS is not an option, then some services could be

deployed to Heroku as a necessary alternative. The timeline for the project can be seen below.

Sprint Title Description

Week 1 Database design, map to backend

Week 2 Build front end

Week 3 Add authentication

Week 4 End to end testing (submit for initial feedback)

Week 5 Final changes (iterate on feedback)

Week 6 Add “nice to haves”

Week 7 & 8 Capture final feedback and deploy to production

Project Timeline

In addition to the high level schedule above, I will also be using this google sheet to track

and measure the progress of the project. I will be following Agile software development

methodology, using “stories” to capture features to build into the app.

Resources

The resources I will need for this project are a laptop, stable internet connection, and

approximately 12 hours per week to work on the project. In addition, I will also need a heroku

account, an AWS account, an IDE (I will be using VS Code), and a Github account.

Milestones
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The major milestones of the project are outlined in the project timeline above. After

seeking initial feedback using this basic form created in Google forms, also known as

“qualifying the need”, I will update the requirements and timeline as I see fit.

Risk and Dependencies

The biggest risk to the project is that the student will not be able to deliver a minimally

viable product by the due date. Measures have been taken to ensure that this does not happen,

such as: reducing the scope of the project to only what is required, simplifying the architecture

(i.e. choosing a Node.js/Javascript framework as opposed to a React/Spring framework), and

replicating the steps of the project off of previously submitted assignments which were submitted

in time and meet the minimum requirements.

Final Deliverables

The final deliverables of the project will be a working full stack application, complete

with any dependent services needed to run. The application will be deployed behind a https

hostname for the graders or reviewers to access. Testing will be done beforehand to ensure that

the application is accessible.

Usability Testing and Evaluation

There is only one type of user of the application. A small group of personal acquaintances

and family members will act as test users, where they will create their accounts, create

challenges, and update their profiles. I will ask the users to login for 6 days consecutively, log

their activities, and provide feedback via google form.

This test will serve two purposes, first the users will be able to catch any issues with the

app and submit those via the form for resolution. Second, the users will be logging their data,
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which will subsequently enhance the data in the backend and the experience of the application

for other users.

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References

Fulton, A., & Aubrey, A. (2019, June 23). Breaking the booze habit, even briefly, has its benefits.

NPR. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/23/732876026/breaking-the-booze-ha

bit-even-briefly-has-its-benefits.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Alcohol Facts and Statistics. National

Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statis

tics.

Munsterman ID;Groefsema MM;Weijers G;Klein WM;Swinkels DW;Drenth JPH;Schellekens

AFA;Tjwa ETTL; (n.d.). Biochemical effects on the liver of 1 month of alcohol

abstinence in moderate alcohol consumers. Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford,

Oxfordshire). Retrieved September 29, 2021, from

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29726886/.
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