A new mobile phone
application that helps people to keep track of their drinking
during the festive period was launched today by Public Health
Minister Gillian Merron.
To coincide with the start of the Christmas period, the
Department of Health has released the first official alcohol
tracker application for mobile phones. Available from iTunes and
www.nhs.uk it helps people to:
· Work out how many alcoholic units there are in a glass of wine
or pint of beer for example;
· See how much alcohol they have
consumed over a set period, such as a week or month;
· Get
personalised feedback on their drinking habits;
· Find local
NHS clinics and advice centres.
A recent industry-led report predicted by the end of 2009 44 per
cent of mobile phones users will have access to the internet via
their handset.
Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said:
“It is all too easy to lose track of how much you drink. So as
the festive parties start to build up, this innovative tool will
help people keep tabs on their drinking – wherever they are.
“It’s one of many ways the Government is helping people to
understand how much they are drinking. Sticking within the NHS
recommended limits means you reduce the risk of serious conditions
such as mouth cancer and strokes.”
Chief Executive of Drinkaware Chris Sorek said:
“Efforts to help people keep track of how much they’re drinking
over the festive season and throughout the year are a good idea.
Trying to stick within the daily unit guidelines will help people
avoid the January slump and the long term health implications
associated with drinking too much alcohol.”
For those that do not have a smartphone, they can text the word
‘UNIT’ to ‘64746’ to receive information on NHS Choices alcohol
units calculator.
Alcohol misuse costs the NHS £2.7 billion each year. The NHS
advice for ‘lower-risk’ drinking is that men should not regularly
drink more than 3-4 units a day, and 2-3 units a day for women.
Men who regularly drink more than eight units a day (about three
pints of lager) and women who regularly drink more than six units
a day (about two large glasses of wine) are considered by the NHS
to be at 'higher risk' of harming their health.
Both are more than five times more likely than non-drinkers to
suffer mouth cancer and more than three times more likely to have
a stroke.
Notes to Editors
1. The application can be found at: http://www.nhs.uk/Tools 2.
The table below gives the types of mobile phones people use to
access NHS information on the internet via their mobile phone: ·
iPhone – 61%· iPod touch – 17%· Nokia 5800 – 2.75%· Nokia e71 –
2.11%· Blackberry – 4% 3. NHS website includes information on
alcohol related health issues including advice on cutting down and
finding alcohol services in your area:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Alcoholhome.aspx 4. The
Government is investing approximately £9 million in the
'Know Your Limits campaign' which arms people
with the facts about the number of units in different drinks. More
information is also available at the Know Your Limits website:
www.nhs.uk/units
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk