Smartphone App Supports Recovery from Alcoholism

A smartphone app may have the power to help some individuals overcome alcoholism, according to a recent study.

According to findings, the application helps patients with alcohol use disorder cut down on days in which they may be more likely to consume heavier amounts.

For the study, researchers examined 349 patients with alcohol dependence in three residential programs. They said that 179 patients received usual treatment and 170 received treatment plus a smartphone with the Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) application.

Findings revealed that those who used the smartphone application reported fewer risky drinking days, defined as the want to consume more than four standard drinks in a two-hour-period for men and more than three drinks for women in the same time span.

In fact, researchers found that patients who used this smartphone app had on average 1.37 fewer risky drinking days than those who didn't use it.

As a standard drink is defined as a 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, the findings also revealed that those who monitored drinking habits through the application were more likely to have consistent abstinence from alcohol.

"The promising results of this trial in continuing care for AUDs point to the possible value of a smartphone intervention for treating AUDs and perhaps other chronic illnesses," researchers concluded, via a press release.

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More information regarding the findings can be seen via JAMA Psychiatry.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 88,000 deaths that can be attributed to excessive alcohol consumption each year in the United States alone.