App Helps Overcome Alcohol Problems
In Australia the new app “Daybreak” helps to overcome alcohol problems.
Daybreak is a smartphone app which connects people who want to quit or reduce their alcohol consumption with peers and health professionals. Currently it is being used by 20,000 people.
Hello Sunday Morning, who owns the app, commissioned a study to evaluate the effects. The findings were:
- People who used the app for at least 3 months saved $7000 per year by cutting down on alcohol use.
- App users also improved their household budgets by almost $4500 each year in health costs, or other benefits like improved work productivity and fewer sick days.
- “Probably dependent” alcohol users halved their weekly consumption of 40.8 standard alcohol units to 20.1.
- Heavy alcohol users reduced their consumption from 22.9 to 11.9 weekly standard alcohol units.
- People in the Daybreak program cut their alcohol intake from 37.1 to 17.5 alcohol units.
- For every dollar the government invested in the support app, it returned nearly $2.50 to the economy.
The study by consultancy group Evaluate, using trial data from the National Drug Research Institute, found the app was saving the economy $32 million, as workers took fewer days off.
For every participant in the program, the study found the government saved $156.25 in health spending.
The app is an example for using new technology effectively for achieving better health for all and is very much needed in Australia where alcohol is found to be the most harmful drug socially.
