terms of use
short version: be real, be kind, and know that this is a community — not a clinic.
punk rock sober is operated by Painful Lessons LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, 11328 Biona Drive, Los Angeles, California 90066. when these terms say "we," "us," or "punk rock sober," they mean Painful Lessons LLC. these terms cover the website (punkrocksober.com) and the iOS app. by using either, you're agreeing to what's on this page.
heads up: the arbitration section below means most disputes go to individual arbitration instead of court, and you give up the right to a jury and to class actions. you can opt out within 30 days — the section says how.
what this is
punk rock sober is a daily ritual and small accountability circles for people staying on. it's peer community and identity — a scene, not a service. it is free.
what this is not
it is not medical or clinical care. nothing here is medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and the app is not a substitute for professional help. day counts are self-reported and unverified — we count what you say counts, and the number isn't proof of anything to anyone. if you're in crisis in the US, call or text 988. alcohol and substance withdrawal can be medically dangerous — talk to a doctor before quitting cold if you drink heavily.
punk rock sober is not affiliated with or endorsed by alcoholics anonymous or any recovery organization. the meetings tab just points the way to the rooms — other people run those directories and those meetings, and we don't verify or vouch for them.
who can use it
you must be 18 or older. if we learn a user is under 18, we'll remove their access. you also can't use punk rock sober if we've removed you before.
no accounts — and what that costs you
there's no sign-up. the app gives your phone an anonymous identifier and that's your identity here. that's on purpose, and it has a real consequence: if you delete the app or lose your phone, your days and circles can't be recovered. there's nothing to log back into, so there's nothing for us to restore.
circles and shared content
circles are small rooms of people who chose each other. what you share there — your name, your days, photos you offer to the daily picture — is visible to that circle. it stays yours: you keep ownership of anything you put in. by putting it in, you give us a license to store it and show it to your circle, for as long as it's in the app, so the app can work. that license is non-exclusive, worldwide and free, and it ends when the content comes out. we don't sell your content, advertise with it, or license it to anyone.
you're responsible for what you share. keep it worthy of the room:
- no harassment, hate, threats, or shaming — nudges say "thinking of you," and so should you
- nothing sexual involving a minor, ever, in any form
- no sexually explicit, violent, or illegal content in offered photos
- no posting other people's private information or photos without their okay — and never out anyone. what's in a circle stays in the circle
- only offer photos you have the right to share
- nothing promoting self-harm, disordered eating, or using
- no selling, recruiting, scamming, or impersonating anyone
- don't scrape, overload, reverse-engineer, or break into the service or anyone else's data
reporting and enforcement
anyone in a circle can report an offered photo with one tap; reported pictures come down immediately for everyone. a circle's steward can release any member and, if needed, bar them from coming back. anyone can leave any circle at any time, no drama.
we can remove content or cut off access to punk rock sober at any time, with or without notice — including if we think you've broken these rules or put someone at risk. we'd rather protect the person being hurt than be fair to the person hurting them. we don't pre-screen content, and acting on something doesn't make us responsible for everything we didn't catch.
copyright
if you believe something on punk rock sober infringes your copyright, send a notice to our designated agent: DMCA Agent, Painful Lessons LLC, 11328 Biona Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90066 — dmca@punkrocksober.com.
include: your signature (electronic is fine); the work you say was infringed; the material you want removed and enough detail for us to find it; your contact information; a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and you're authorized to act for the copyright owner. we remove material in response to valid notices. if your content was removed and you think that was a mistake, send a counter-notice to the same address. we cut off repeat infringers.
our stuff
the app, the website, the name, the logo, the giraffe, the code and the design belong to Painful Lessons LLC. these terms don't give you any rights to them beyond using punk rock sober the way it's meant to be used.
your data
the app is anonymous by design. what little we store, and how to delete it, is in the privacy policy, which is part of these terms.
sponsors
punk rock sober is free, and keeping it free costs money. we may take sponsors — the podcast way: named out loud, clearly marked as sponsors, and chosen because the scene would respect them. sponsorship never buys your data (there's nearly none to buy), never puts trackers in the app, and never buys influence over what we say or how circles work. if a sponsor ever asked for any of that, we'd rather lose the money.
it's free, and it might change
we may change the app, add or remove features, pause it, or shut it down. we don't promise it will always be available or keep any particular feature.
disclaimer of warranties
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PAINFUL LESSONS LLC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DATA WILL NOT BE LOST, OR THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR NEEDS. WE MAKE NO WARRANTY REGARDING CONTENT POSTED BY OTHER USERS OR ANY THIRD-PARTY MEETING LISTING.
limitation of liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PAINFUL LESSONS LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR LOSS OF GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).
some places don't allow these limits, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
indemnification
you'll defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Painful Lessons LLC and its members, managers, officers, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, liability, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your content, your use of the service, your breach of these terms, or your violation of anyone else's rights.
arbitration and class action waiver
agreement to arbitrate. you and Painful Lessons LLC agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these terms or the service will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, in Los Angeles, California or by remote proceeding. the arbitrator decides everything, including whether this section applies. the Federal Arbitration Act governs.
no class actions. you and we each agree to bring claims only individually, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, or representative proceeding. the arbitrator may not consolidate claims or preside over any representative proceeding.
what's excluded. either of us may bring an individual claim in small claims court, and either of us may seek injunctive relief in court to protect intellectual property or stop unauthorized access.
how to opt out. email arbitration@punkrocksober.com within 30 days of first using punk rock sober, with your name (or the nickname you use in the app) and a statement that you're opting out of arbitration. opting out changes nothing else, and we won't treat you differently for it.
costs. we'll pay JAMS filing and arbitrator fees for any claim under $10,000, unless the arbitrator finds the claim frivolous.
if part of this fails. if the class action waiver is found unenforceable for a particular claim, that claim goes to court, and the rest of this section still applies to everything else.
governing law
these terms are governed by the laws of the state of california, usa, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. for anything not subject to arbitration, the courts of los angeles county, california have exclusive jurisdiction.
changes
we may update these terms. if we make a material change, we'll say so in the app or on this site and update the date below. keep using punk rock sober after that and you're accepting the new version; if you don't agree, stop using it.
everything else
if any part of these terms is unenforceable, the rest still stands. not enforcing something isn't a waiver of it. these terms are the whole agreement between you and us about the service. you can't transfer your rights under them; we can transfer ours in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
contact
feedback@punkrocksober.com — a human reads it.
Painful Lessons LLC · 11328 Biona Drive · Los Angeles, CA 90066
effective september 22, 2026 · © 2026 Painful Lessons LLC