App shows how alcohol can age users

An image from a smartphone app showing how a woman could age in 10 years if she regularly exceeds sensible drinking guidelines

Published: 12:13am, 7th February 2012
Updated: 11:14am, 8th February 2012

A smartphone app showing how alcohol can quicken the ageing process has been launched to help encourage women to stay within the recommended alcohol limits.

The Scottish Government's Alcohol Behaviour Change campaign, aimed at women, highlights the health benefits of breaking drinking habits and advocates small changes such as having alcohol-free days and alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks or water.

The campaign includes a national roadshow and uses the slogan Drop A Glass Size to promote the health benefits of staying within recommended drinking guidelines.

It includes the Drinking Time Machine app for smartphones, which shows the possible physical results of regularly drinking too much. Available exclusively from the Scottish Government and free for one month, it ages the user's image as a way of showing the potential effect of alcohol.

Figures from the Scottish Health Survey show that around 38% of women regularly exceed daily and or weekly drinking guidelines. Government advice recommends women drink no more than two to three units of alcohol a day and no more than 14 units a week.

The Government says a woman can exceed the weekly guidelines and still spend less than £3.

An estimated one in 30 female deaths in Scotland are alcohol-related.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "Evidence shows us that most people who drink alcohol, particularly at home, have no idea of how much they are actually consuming. This campaign aims to show people how small changes to their drinking habits can have a significant impact on their health and well-being."

Audrey Birt, Scotland director at the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "We're happy to be supporting this new campaign from the Scottish Government. We've known for some time that regularly drinking alcohol can increase the risk of developing breast cancer, as well as causing other health problems.

"The good news is women can reduce their risk of developing the disease in a number of ways, including decreasing their alcohol intake, as well as maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active."