Counteracting rigidbody velocity using AddForce?

I'm working on a physics based controller, and using AddForce for the movement. Obviously, this causes sliding, and I don't know how to get around it. Upping the drag means I need to up the movement speed, and any explosions around, which means other objects affected by the explosions go flying, and it's a bit tedious. Is there a way i can counteract the velocity using AddForce?