What is CheckUp & Choices?
It is a group of online programs that can guide you through the process of a) considering whether to change your drinking, b) developing a plan to change if you decide to, and c) helping you learn the skills to achieve your goals of either cutting back or stopping drinking. There also are programs that focus on marijuana (cannabis), stimulants, and opioids.
How does CheckUp & Choices help me cut back on drinking or stop drinking?
By guiding you through a series of exercises that systematically help you take the steps to achieve your goals and to give you feedback on your progress as you practice new skills and change your habits.
Why the 3 and 12-month subscription options?
How long it takes to change your drinking and/or drug use and make your new habits stick depends on the length of time of your use. The longer you’ve been drinking or using heavily, the longer it takes to change your habits. Our programs are designed for those who need brief support as well as for those who need longer-term support.
What does evidence-based mean? Why does evidence-based matter?
Evidence based means that there is scientific data to support clinically relevant outcomes from the program. For our program this means multiple randomized clinical trials with outcomes published in peer-reviewed journals.
Why does it matter? Because outcomes and data from scientific research give you the soundest basis for having confidence that a program could be helpful for you.
Does CheckUp & Choices screen for Alcohol Use Disorder?
No. CheckUp & Choices provides a suite of evidence-based tools that inform and empowers an individual to make choices about their alcohol and drug use and meet their personal goals to reduce their alcohol and/or drug related problems and to improve your well-being. Alcohol Use Disorder is a medical condition requiring diagnosis and treatment by a qualified healthcare practitioner. CheckUp & Choices tools are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any condition
Is CheckUp & Choices only for alcoholics?
No. We evaluated the elements in our application in individuals who spanned the range of heavy drinking and alcohol related problems. Most of our studies did not involve drinkers at the most severe end of the spectrum. And the term “alcoholic” is outdated and not used in the helping professions. Heavy drinking and its related problems can range from mild to severe and life threatening. The issues of alcohol and drug misuse are more like high blood pressure (mild to severe) than pregnancy (yes or no).
Are you going to label me an alcoholic or tell me to quit drinking?
Absolutely not. We will not label you or tell you what to do. We provide you with objective data to help you make your own decisions about whether or not to change your drinking and if you do decide to change, we give you options (e.g., to cut back or moderate your drinking) and empower you to pursue the option you select. It is important to underscore that the term “alcoholic” is outdated and not used in the helping professions.
The language of CheckUp & Choices seems a bit stuffy sometimes. Why don’t you just keep it simple?
How you think about yourself and how others describe you can have a negative impact on what you do to address your alcohol or drug related problems. Labels like alcoholic, alcohol abuser, drug addict, etc. are seen by most people as pejorative or stigmatizing and lead people to not getting the help they could use to improve their lives. Read more about this here