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Scientists have developed a smartphone sober app that comes with a panic button and alerts people who have a drinking problem when they approach places where alcohol drinks are served.
The study involved 271 adults that were recovering from alcoholism. They received smartphones with the new app installed and they had to use it for 8 months. The results were based on what the patients reported. The smartphone sober app that will help recovering alcoholics comes with a feature that periodically asks the patients about the state that they’re in and the progress they are making. If the answers seem problematic, the app notifies a specialized counselor who can help them. If the patients feel that the temptation to drink is overwhelming they can push the panic button that will notify the nearest professional helper. The smartphone sober app also offers techniques to relax and calms the patient while waiting for help to come.
After eight months of using the smartphone sober app the results were more than satisfactory: 78% of the people who used it said that it helped them avoid drinking. These results were somewhat comparable to standard anti-addiction counseling.
Statistics say that about 18 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and only 25% of the people who receive treatment are able to abstain from consuming alcohol for at least a year after the treatment stopped. Scientists say that they’re always looking at new ways to improve these statistics and a smartphone app could really be helpful.
The smartphone sober app is amazing – patient says
One of the patients involved in the study said that the app helped him a lot. The sober app made it very easy to call for help whenever he felt like drinking again. He said that the app is amazing and that he continued to use it even after the study ended.
The smartphone sober app is not yet available on the market as the scientists are still working on it.
