Nick Catucci of "Rolling Stone" dubbed the song "saucy". Nicholas Fonseca of "Entertainment Weekly" called "Call Me When You're Sober" an "angry-goth anthem". Brendan Butler of Cinema Blend called "Call Me When You're Sober" and "Sweet Sacrifice" the "most-friendly radio " and noted that they could be the breakout hits from "The Open Door" due to the fact that they are the album's only two songs that "don't excruciatingly wane after a minute". "The Courier-Mail"s Jason Nahrung noted that the song was the album's most radio-friendly one and at the same time reminiscent of Lee's previous work with Moody, which according to him meant a use of "heavy bass and drums, spotless and lavish production and Lee's unmistakable vocals". Writing for "Rolling Stone", Rob Sheffield noted how Lee's vocals, which he described as "over the top, in the mode of Eighties shoulder-pad belters like Pat Benatar or Heart's Ann Wilson", are fitting for a breakup song like "Call Me When You're Sober". A writer for Canada.com concluded that Evanescence showed their "staying power" on the "biting single". A "Billboard" journalist deemed the track's title to be "wonderfully compelling" and went on to describe the song as an "anthemic grinder that musically tills familiar ground". The writer concluded the review, noting: "Lee's vocal is other-worldly and the song's overall impact is strong; however, there's really nothing new going on".