The Daybreak digital app can help high-risk drinking individuals halve their weekly alcohol consumption in three months in clinical trails, new research suggested. High-risk drinking individuals here refer to “risky/harmful” and “probably dependent” drinkers, who are often the most complex cases to treat.
How the research underwent
The research evaluated the effectiveness of the Daybreak program after three months of use. The study involved 793 Australian adults.
The results were inspiring.
70% of the participants were classed as “probably dependent” drinkers, and their weekly alcohol consumption dropped from 40.8 standard drinks to 20.1 standard drinks after using the Daybreak app, more than halved compared to the original amount.
Alcohol consumption among “risky/harmful” drinkers dropped from 22.9 standard drinks per week to 11.9 standard drinks, which is below National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines that recommend no more than 14 drinks a week.
The Daybreak app
The Daybreak app was developed by Hello Sunday Morning, providing access to a supportive online community, interventions, and “coaching” to help people reduce harms from drinking.
It is estimated that more than 50,000 people have used the program since 2016. It can be easily accessed with a smartphone and used comfortably at home, and is available whenever someone wishes to seek help.
"While our evaluation only focused on a small group of people over three months, the reductions in alcohol consumption achieved indicate the potential for online interventions to help people with more entrenched alcohol problems, which is particularly significant given the wide potential reach of online interventions." Said a researcher Dr. Robert Tait.
