A-CHESS App Helps Keep Alcoholics Sober

There really is an app for everything it seems. While there are a lot of “fun” apps out there available for everyone to use, there is also an increasing amount of useful and productive apps that are in development or have recently been released. None of them may have the ultimate impact that A-CHESS could have, though. When I think of apps, I don’t usually think of programs that help people live to their highest potential – but maybe I should start to rethink my criteria.

If you’ve never heard of A-CHESS, it’s probably because it’s still in development and isn’t all that widely known yet. But that might all be changing soon. To be clear, though, A-CHESS won’t be used by everyone – only a certain percentage of the population; namely, recovering alcoholics. A-CHESS stands for Addiction-Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System and it is designed to be a mobile support system for those who struggle with alcohol addiction.

One Of The Only Apps That Might Save Your Life

A-CHESS was developed by some folks at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and it’s already showing positive results even though it hasn’t yet been officially released to the public.

Last year, researchers decided to study 350 people who were about to complete an alcohol rehabilitation program. They decided to give 175 people the app along with a smartphone, and the remaining 175 completed their rehab stay as they normally would. At the end of the year, results showed that 52% of the people with the app remained sober, while only 40% of those without the app stayed away from alcohol.

You might be wondering what all the app can do to help keep a person sober. For one, it pretty well memorizes your patterns – for instance, it knows if you’re hanging out in the proximity of a liquor store for a few too many minutes, and will encourage you to go and do something else. It’s also includes an easy button when you need to get in contact with a sponsor when the temptation’s getting to be a little too much.

It’s unknown exactly when A-CHESS will be available, but I for one think it’s a great idea and hope it is highly successful. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Image via Business2Community]

SOURCE: http://www.cnet.com/news/sobriety-app-with-panic-button-helps-addicts-stay-on-the-wagon/