The study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), found that people randomly recommended to use the Drink Less app reduced their drinking by 39 units a week at six months – two more units a week on average than a control group who were referred to standard NHS advice. 

The 5,602 participants of the study were all increasing or higher risk drinkers interested in reducing their alcohol consumption and were randomly assigned to either be sent a link to an NHS alcohol advice webpage or a link to download the Drink Less app. The app allows people to set goals, record how much they drink and log their mood and sleep quality after drinking. It shows progress towards goals and can offer feedback and support with action plans for situations where users would usually drink. 

Another feature is that the app shows where in the UK population users are in terms of how much they drink each week – i.e., what percentage of the population drink more or less than they do. This can be a shock as most people underestimate how much they drink compared with the general population, the researchers said. Anyone can download the app from the UK Apple App Store and see how they compare. 

The app was even more helpful for female participants, who reduced their drinking by an additional 2.5 units a week compared to women who were referred to the NHS advice webpage. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

'Effectiveness of a smartphone app (Drink Less) versus usual digital care for reducing alcohol consumption among increasing-and-higher-risk adult drinkers in the UK: a two-arm, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised controlled trial' by M Oldham et al. in eClinicalMedicine