Many people exhibiting at-risk behaviours, that are not yet established addictions, never access any type of health care services. Current risky drinkers are often in denial or cite concerns about stigma as well as a desire to deal with their problems on their own as barriers to seeking treatment.
Alcohol treatment options favour intensive treatment related to severe issues, such as addiction. We needed to overcome one of the biggest challenges in health behaviour change: to promote accessibility of efficacious tools and services that promote reductions in risk behaviours, not established addictions.
DrinkSmart is a web and mobile application to help people track their drinking and change their risky drinking behaviour. It is not just a screening and intervention tool, it’s a treatment tool.
DrinkSmart calculates money spent and calories consumed while providing the user with a clear outline of their alcohol intake & the trends around it.
As orientation, users are required to track their alcohol intake in a DrinkSmart challenge for their first week. After this they are encouraged to set up a personal challenge, setting themselves a daily limit or a goal for the next week.
“Happy to have found this app. It’s been helpful to track my drinks so I see how much I consume...”
In it’s first six months, 1,377 users have joined DrinkSmart. 1,094 of the current users started a challenge with a total success rate of 88%. (as at 20 August 2014)
Reviewed by Australia's leading Alcohol and Drug Information Network
