New Mobile App Warns Drinkers if They Exceed Alcohol Limit

The app "The Alcohol Tracker," enables users to log the number of beers, shots or glasses of wine they are either prescribed or can handle daily or weekly.

When the recommended daily or weekly limits exceeds, the app will send a notification, warning that the recommended limit has been reached.

Since different beverages contain varying amounts of alcohol, the app converts every drink into a certain number of alcohol "units".

"Many smartphone apps available in the market to manage drinking are not well-informed by clinical evidence and are largely for entertainment," said the app developer Melvyn Zhang from the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore.

"Some apps even seem to promote rather than curb drinking," he added.

The new app provides built-in psychological therapies and helpline links for users to help steer them away from hazardous drinking. A validated questionnaire enables users to find out if their drinking puts them at risk.

"The limits are defined by the recommended safe intake for men and women, stipulated by national guidance in the UK (NICE) and Canada," Zhang said.

The new app has been developed by doctors and based on the clinical evidence of what works best to help people better manage their alcohol intake said a commentary published in the online journal BMJ Innovations.