By tracking your alcohol consumption via an app, you can reduce your alcohol consumption by two units per week, scientists say.
Researchers from UCL say their Drink Less app, which can be downloaded for free on Apple devices, could help people who are high-risk drinkers.
Their study, which involved more than 5,000 people, found that those who were randomly recommended to use the Drink Less app reduced their alcohol consumption by 39 units per week after six months.
This amounted to an average of two units less per week compared to a control group referred to standard NHS advice.
The research found that women benefited more from the app, many of whom reduced their alcohol consumption by a further 2.5 units per week, compared to those who were referred to the NHS advice page.
Researchers from UCL say their Drink Less app, which can be downloaded for free on Apple devices, could help people who are high-risk drinkers (Stock Image)
The experts said that while two extra units per week may seem small, the results could be significant, ‘both in terms of preventing potential health damage and reducing costs to the NHS’.
Lead author Dr Melissa Oldham, from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, said: ‘Alcohol consumption can lead to many health problems, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
‘Around 20 per cent of the adult population in Britain drinks alcohol at levels that increase the risk of ill health, and the Drink Less app could help these people drink less alcohol.’
The NHS recommends that people should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, spread over three days or more. That’s about six medium glasses of wine (175ml), or six pints of 4% beer.