Is 12Gradus a replacement for a sponsor?
No — and it never will be. 12Gradus is a tool a sponsor uses. The relationship, the phone calls, the meetings and the honesty all happen between two people. We are the notebook, not the person holding it.
Do sponsees have to pay?
Never. Sponsees use 12Gradus free, forever, with no feature held back and no trial clock. Sponsors subscribe; that's the whole business model.
What about anonymity?
The app shows first name and last initial throughout, the way the rooms do. Your sponsor sees the work you turn in and the check-ins you make — they do not see journal entries you mark private, or the reflections you flag as private inside an assignment. That's enforced by the database, not by hiding a button.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — your first seven days on either paid tier are free. A card is taken at sign-up so access carries on without you having to remember; cancel before day seven from the billing portal in the app and you are not charged. One trial per person, not per subscription.
Which fellowships does it support?
All thirty-three twelve-step fellowships are selectable on a profile. The built-in step library is written for Gamblers Anonymous today; sponsors in other programs assign their own materials, and per-program libraries are on the roadmap.
My sponsee won't download an app. Now what?
Use the text bridge. Add their cell number, they confirm once by replying YES, and after that your messages arrive as ordinary text messages and their replies land back in your chat. They never install anything.
Is my data sold, shared, or used to train anything?
No. We don't sell data, we don't share it with advertisers, and no recovery content — journals, step work, chats — is used to train AI models. Read the AI page for exactly where AI is and isn't used.
Can I cancel?
Any time, from the billing portal inside the app. Your sponsees keep their free accounts and their own history regardless.
Is this therapy, treatment, or medical advice?
No. 12Gradus is peer-support software. It is not treatment and not a crisis service. If you're in crisis, call 988, or 1-800-GAMBLER for gambling-related crisis support.