America
App to help boozers fight the urge to drink
Melbourne, April 27
A smartphone app has been designed to help people reduce their dependence on alcohol.
The app diagnoses your drinking habits and measures how healthy, risky or dangerous they may be.
It
then offers a range of challenges to complete instead of drinking such
as sober karaoke, drink-free dating and being the designated driver on
nights out, Herald Sun reported.
Chris Raine of the
Australia-based not-for-profit movement Hello Sunday Morning said the
new app pushed education into the tech space and empowered people to
seek simple, fast advice at the touch of their smartphone.
"It's
really exciting. There is a big need for it in Australia and around the
world to help people change their drinking habits," Raine was quoted as
saying.
"It's an easy way to help people," he added.
The
app, powered by Vodafone and funded by the Abbott government, also
allows users to see how many other people in their pub, club or local
area are going booze-free and completing the same challenges.
Australasian
College for Emergency Medicine chair Diana Egerton-Warburton predicted
the app would be a success because it helped build awareness of people's
own habits.
Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash said the app
would appeal to tech-savvy Australians, who could use their phone to
monitor their health.