Are you drinking more than you used to drink? Has reaching for a bottle of wine or beer on a ‘school night’ become a more frequent occurrence as a means to wind down after a stressful day in work or relax once the kids are in bed? Has opening a bottle at mealtimes now turned into a habit?
With the economic climate putting continued pressure on people in all kinds of ways, many of us are now consuming more alcohol than we think.
A recent study by University College London (UCL) compared alcohol sales figures with surveys of how much people thought they drank. The report found a “significant shortfall” with almost half of all alcohol sold being unaccounted for in the consumption figures.
The Fewer Units campaign, by the NHS in Liverpool has developed a smartphone app to help people keep track of how much they are drinking. The app allows you to set yourself a daily alcohol limit, keep a record of all your drinks using barcode scanning technology, set yourself targets for the week and then show you how well you are doing against them targets. It will even calorie count your drinks and help you get to grips with how many units are in your favorite tipple!
If you are drinking more than you thought and are keen to cut down, the app can provide you with tips on how to do this and information on all the benefits of cutting down.
Available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry you can download the app by visiting the Fewer Units website – www.fewerunits.co.uk
