A new app has emerged, and it has one pretty forthright goal: to help you as you drunkenly stumbling around basement parties and bars on the weekends. Drunk Mode, which launched in April 2014, includes a feature which blocks phone numbers you don’t want to drunk dial, a find-my-friend feature which helps you find lost drinking buddies, and an integration with Uber and Lyft to prevent drunk driving, among others.
The app started with only the number-blocking feature, which allows you to block numbers you would rather not call or text after too many drinks for up to 12 hours, making you answer a semi-complicated math problem to undo the block. The app grew to include its newer features over the course of the year that it has been on the market.
Ryan Blair, the app’s campus rep for UWM, sees Drunk Mode as a safety measure in case of emergencies. “With how dangerous the streets can be late at night on college campuses and big cities, it’s something helpful to have on just in case something does happen,” said Blair.
Students who have used the app have acknowledged its potential to help.
“It’s nice to know that my friends can know where I am, and I know where they are, and that we’re all safe in case we get split up somehow,” said Alex Riegelman, a UWM student.
Drunk Mode has seen a big surge in users over the past couple months, going from about 125,000 users to 400,000 after a big spring break push by campus reps in college hotspots like Panama City Beach in Florida.
Drunk Mode hopes to continue to grow among college students, with features such as a Snapchat photo recovery and hotspots, which allows you to see how many Drunk Mode users are at a party or bar, set to be introduced in the coming months.
Blair acknowledges the potential for people to see this app as something negative because of the name, but ultimately believes in the app’s power to help keep students safe.
“While the name kind of sounds like it promotes drinking and negativity, it’s something that’s good to have, and it’s meant to keep people safe while drinking,” said Blair.