New smartphone app warns drinkers if they go over recommended daily/weekly units
Date published: 07 July 2015
A new smartphone app warns drinkers if they go over the recommended maximum daily/weekly units of alcohol, to help them better manage their intake, reveals a commentary published in the online journal BMJ Innovations.
The Alcohol Tracker, which has been developed by doctors and based on the clinical evidence of what works best, also provides built-in psychological therapies and helpline links for users to help steer them away from hazardous drinking.
Excess alcohol kills millions worldwide every year, but many available smartphone apps to manage drinking are not informed by clinical evidence and are largely for entertainment, say the developers of the new app. Some apps even seem to promote rather than curb drinking, they add.
The Alcohol Tracker enables users to log the number of beers/shots/glasses of wine they have knocked back on a given day which it then tots up for them in units. When the recommended daily or weekly limits have been exceeded, the app issues a warning.
The limits are defined by the recommended safe intake for men and women, stipulated by national guidance in the UK (NICE) and Canada.
The Alcohol Tracker also provides links to alcohol helplines and built-in psychological therapies, such as a behavioural goals aid. A validated questionnaire enables users to find out if their drinking puts them at risk.
Do you have a story for us?
Let us know by emailing news@rochdaleonline.co.uk
All contact will be treated in confidence.
Most Viewed News Stories
- 1Rochdale drug dealer jailed for 7 years despite attempting to flee
- 2Milnrow schoolgirl cleans up streets with school litter-picker – and hopes to inspire others to do...
- 3Trio jailed for 20 years after shotgun fired at Rochdale house in broad daylight
- 4Rochdale community group founder recognised for contribution to research engagement with South...
- 5First-ever Workers’ Party councillors elected to Rochdale Borough Council; Labour retains overall...
To contact the Rochdale Online news desk, email news@rochdaleonline.co.uk or visit our news submission page.
To get the latest news on your desktop or mobile, follow Rochdale Online on Twitter and Facebook.