Not sure where to start? That's what Harper is for.
Harper is an AI — a conversational guide built for the first conversation about alcohol, drugs, or recovery. Your own use, or someone you love's. It's free, there's no sign-up, and we don't store your conversations, unless you're a signed-in member with Harper's memory on — you can see and delete those conversations any time. Otherwise, what you say stays in your browser tab and is gone when you close it.
Harper won't pretend to be human. What it offers is a place to say the thing out loud — without judgment, without a waiting room, without anyone knowing you asked.
Where people start
There's no right way to open. These are the kinds of things people type:
- “Do I have a problem?”
- “I'm worried about someone I love.”
- “How do I bring it up with them?”
- “What kinds of help exist?”
- “I want to cut back, not quit.”
- “I need help now.”
Whatever yours sounds like, say it the way it comes out. Harper starts from there.
What Harper won't do
The limits are the point. Because Harper doesn't do these things, you can trust what it does say.
- No diagnosis.
- Harper won't put a label on you. Whether something is a problem is yours to decide — Harper's job is to give you clear information while you work that out.
- No medical advice.
- Questions about detox, withdrawal, or medication get honest general information and a plain “ask a doctor about that.” Stopping some substances suddenly can be dangerous, and Harper will say so — but what's safe for your body is a conversation for a clinician.
- No treatment center names.
- Harper won't recommend a rehab or steer you toward a specific program. It can explain what kinds of help exist and how to tell them apart — so you never have to wonder who's behind the answer.
- No legal advice.
- Questions about a DUI, custody, or trouble at work deserve a lawyer, and Harper will tell you that instead of guessing.
- No pretending a human will follow up.
- No one is reading along, and no one will call you after. What Harper tells you in the conversation is the whole of it.
- No conversation stored, unless you're a member with memory on.
- We don't store your conversations, unless you're a signed-in member with Harper's memory on — you can see and delete those conversations any time. Otherwise, what you say stays in your browser tab, and when you close the tab, it's gone. If you're not signed in, there's no transcript with your name on it, because we never asked for your name.
If a conversation turns into a crisis
Some conversations show that a person is in danger right now. Harper is built to catch that. If what you say sounds like a crisis — thoughts of suicide, a possible overdose, someone in immediate danger — Harper stops everything else and leads with real help: call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. Those lines stay on screen for the rest of the conversation, and Harper keeps answering what you say next.
Harper is an AI and says so plainly in that moment: it can't call anyone for you and can't send help to where you are. What it can do is put the right number in front of you, clearly, first.
One more thing you should know: we count how many times Harper points someone to a crisis line. That tally is a number and nothing else — no names, no identities.
Separately, when Harper detects a crisis, we keep a minimal safety record: when it happened and what kind of crisis it was. It never includes what you said — no conversation content, ever.
Every crisis line we keep is on our crisis support page, with or without a conversation.