The Apps that Claim To Fix Your Drinking Problem

A lot of people are doing just that. With many of us glued to our digital devices for much of the day, web developers and medical researchers are taking note of the potential for harnessing our phones, tablets and laptops as tools to moderate drinking, or stay sober after quitting booze.

Web-based drink tracking and alcohol control programs have mushroomed in recent years, ranging from the whimsically named R-U-Buzzed? app for iPhone (which claims to calculate when you’re too buzzed to drive) to the University of Wisconsin’s A-CHESS addiction recovery app (which, among other things), uses your phone’s GPS to warn you when a bar is nearby). Others send motivational text messages to promote abstinence, and still more count your drinks and calculate your risk.

Take for example Checkup and Choices, an online drink tracking program developed by Reid Hester, a clinical psychologist based in New Mexico.

The program gauges users’ habits and risk of health problems with a confidential survey, then directs them to a smartphone-friendly website where you can record your drinks, your mood while drinking, and your urges. Afterward, you’re left with some objective data to help you assess your habits.

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