New app aims to help liver disease patients abstain from alcohol

New app aims to help liver disease patients abstain from alcohol A mobile phone app which helps patients with alcohol-related liver disease to stay sober could help save hundreds of lives every year, according to researchers from UCL and the Royal Free Hospital who developed the app. The study, published in the journal JHEP Reports , found that 57% of those using the AlcoChange app remained abstinent over a three month period, compared with just 22% of those who did not use the app regularly. AlcoChange uses several behavioural change strategies, including a mobile phone-based breathalyser and personalised messages, to help patients abstain, including telling them how much money they will save by not buying alcohol to sending them pictures of loved ones and providing them solutions to overcome cravings. The breathalyser allows the patients to show their families and friends that they are sober, helping to build trust. The trial resulted in fewer hospital admissions among the group using the app - even a year after they had stopped using it. Dr Gautam Mehta, first author of the study from UCL Division of Medicine and the Royal Free Hospital, said: "This pilot study is very promising and if the results are replicated in larger trials, we think that this could pave the way to using digital tools to provide high-intensity alcohol abstinence support in people's own homes. "It has the potential to be particularly useful, given that few patients receive medication or talking therapy to help maintain abstinence.