The Alcohol Tracker, a smartphone drinking app, let’s you know how much alcohol you’ve got in your body and basically, if you’ve had enough.
Drinkaware
We tend to think that alcohol problems are associated with binge drinkers or those dependent on it. The truth is that no level of alcohol is risk-free. Drink smart.
Singapore-based doctors have developed the perfect drinking app, helping users to keep track of their daily or weekly consumption of alcohol. That’s not all. If you are getting out of control, the technology will send a notification, warning you that the alcohol limit recommended by health organizations has been reached, Live Science reported.
Experts compared the app to having a 24/7 portable therapist, which users can consult at any time.
Drinking app “could save thousands of lives,” developers said
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. Now, although doctors don’t except everyone to follow such strict rules, monitoring our drinking habits can prevent hangovers (nobody likes those) and more serious health repercussions on the long run.
Alcoholic beverages are widely consumed throughout the world, yet the true picture of alcohol practices is often shrouded in myths and assumptions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One thing’s for sure though, the harmful use of alcohol results in approximately 2.5 million deaths each year.
Researchers behind this innovative app said that it could prevent millions of deaths from alcohol-use disorders.
The good and the bad app
Researchers examined 500 alcohol smartphone applications and found that the vast majority is misleading or even harmful to users.
Globally, excess alcohol kills millions every year, yet many available smartphone drinking apps “are not informed by clinical evidence and are largely for entertainment”, developers said.
Most apps actually promote irresponsible drinking; instead of helping people better manage their intake of booze.
Know your drinking
This free Android app not only tracks your alcohol unit intake, it also includes a self-assessment option for alcohol misuse called the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. This is a validated questionnaire, which enables users to find out if their drinking puts them at risk. The app also comes with an alcohol helpline as well as psychological therapies for users interested in changing their drinking habits.
Android users can download the drinking app now for free at the Google Play store.
