Phone app keeps diary of drinks

[davieG]

People are being urged to keep track of their drinking with a free drink tracker app from the NHS.

The mobile phone app records a diary of the number of alcohol units drunk each day.

Shoppers at Leicester's Highcross shopping centre can see how it works at a special stand to mark alcohol awareness week today and tomorrow.

Julia O'Boyle, a consultant in public health with NHS Leicester City, said: "Alcohol is part of many people's lives and is often enjoyed in moderation.

"However, alcohol misuse can lead to serious health problems such as liver damage or a greater risk of cancer or having a heart attack.

"Many people aren't clear about how much they are drinking or about how to calculate a unit.

"When we ask patients to keep an alcohol diary they are often surprised by the amount they consume."

Latest figures show that 27.22 per 100,000 of men in the city die from alcohol-related problems.

The national average is 19 per 100,000.

Ms O'Boyle said: "We know that although Leicester has a high number of people who abstain from drinking completely, we also have one of the highest mortality rate for alcohol-related illness. We advise people to drink in moderation, have alcohol-free days and not to go over the recommended levels."

The drink tracker app is available free on iTunes and on Google Play for android smartphones. The same information is available at:

www.nhs.uk/change4life

I wonder how many drinks it'll take before people forget or don't give a shit how much they're drinking?

[Julian Joachim Jr Shabadoo]

People will be using this to get to the top of leader boards - if anything this will increase drinking

[Alexikokopops]

This has been around for a couple of years if I'm not mistaken. I had an NHS drink tracking app a while back anyway. And yes, it doesn't take long before you completely lose track.

Edit: Just checked and it's been around since November 2009.

[Parafox]

So the drinker has to put the amount they're drinking into the app. I can see that happening...