A tailored drinking app made young people keener to drink less, but they didn't

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   6,129 Dutch teens and young adults aged 16 or older who drank too much were split into two groups. The main results come from the 1,767 who were still using the app after the first week.

2. 02

   What they did

   Both groups set a drinking goal and kept a daily drinking diary in the app. One group also got 10 app sessions over 17 weeks, weekly at first and then less often. The sessions had exercises and videos matched to each person's diary. They helped people weigh their mixed feelings about drinking, set goals and make if-then plans.

3. 03

   What happened

   From week 7 to week 25, the app-session group felt drinking less mattered more. They also felt more sure they could do it. How much they drank each week did not differ. About 63 in 100 people stopped using the app in the first week, and only 4 in 100 answered the last survey. So the results rest on a small, self-selected group.

What the study found

1. HelpedMotivation

   Heavy drinkers with tailored app sessions felt drinking less mattered more, and felt surer of it, than the diary group.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Action: Make an if-then plan for your obstacletested
   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested

   Large randomised trial of 1,767 young heavy drinkers in the Netherlands · vs people who kept the same app diaries without sessions · they rated themselves · ⚠ many people dropped out; only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

2. No differenceGoals

   Tailored app sessions did not cut weekly drinking compared with keeping the app diary alone.

   • Action: Talk through your mixed feelings about changingtested
   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested

   Large randomised trial of 1,767 young heavy drinkers in the Netherlands · vs people who kept the same app diaries without sessions · they rated themselves · ⚠ many people dropped out; only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

Source