Development of a Smartphone-Based, Self-Administered Intervention System for Alcohol Use Disorders

Abstract

Advances in mobile technology provide an opportunity to deliver in-the-moment interventions to individuals with alcohol use disorders, yet availability of effective “apps” that deliver evidence-based interventions is scarce. The authors developed an immediately available, portable, smartphone-based intervention system whose purpose is to provide stand-alone, self-administered assessment and intervention. In this article, the authors describe how theory and empirical evidence, combined with smartphone functionality, contributed to the construction of a user-friendly, engaging alcohol intervention. With translation in mind, the authors discuss how they selected appropriate intervention components including assessments, feedback and tools, that work together to produce the hypothesized outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Technology
• alcohol
• intervention
• smartphone
• self-administered

Notes

This project was funded by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Grant #RC2 AA019422-02.