Alcohology app bridges gap between alcohol science and myth

According to the creator of the new 2015 app, Alcohology, there's a wide gulf between what people think alcohol does for them and what alcohol does to them. Case in point: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that less than10 percent of the public realizes alcohol is a carcinogen. It's free in the Google Play Store and in Kindle Apps. An IOS version is planned.

The app is targeted toward health and counseling professionals, drinkers – whether they have the disease of alcoholism or just consider themselves moderate drinkers – and anyone concerned with a loved one's drinking. Scott Stevens, author of the recovery book, EverySilver Lining Has a Cloud, created the application, “because sometimes the swaying factor among many is knowing what alcohol does to otherwise healthy tissues.”

The app features short, topical videos on the evidence-based studies on alcohol and dismisses the 'junk science' touting alcohol's health benefits. “Take the emotion out of a loaded public-health issue and rampant family drama and take the facts first,” says Stevens. “Not observational-studies, but some of the quality, recent research, will break a few myths and knock down some resistance to choosing abstinence over moderate or heavy drinking.”

The journalist and author frequently reports on alcohol and health and notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year identified alcohol as the third-leading cause of preventable death and illness in the U.S. “Alcohol-related car wrecks take about 1 out of every eight of the 89,000 annual deaths linked to alcohol use. The alcohol issue is more than a drinking and driving. It's a $226 billion annual health, wellness and productivity concern.”

Alcoholism is a consistent family problem and the disease is in the spotlight with the new Android app. Stevens knows all too well about the trials of recovery. His award-winning non-fiction book is a unique, bold take on sobriety, relapse and recovery. And he's in recovery himself, after a two-liters-a-day drinking problem. “I've had to eat my own cooking, sure, but this app is also geared toward moderate or occasional binge drinkers. You don't need to have a drinking problem to be a problem drinker. This is a toxin the body doesn't favor much. The app is clear about that.”

Visit alcohologist.com for a replay of the Dr. Alan Simberg's show, Life Changing Insights, featuring Scott Stevens.  Dr. Simberg led a discussion on the health risks and myths of health benefits of drinking.  Lucy Pireel's "All That's Written" included a feature on Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud called "When alcohol doesn't work for you anymore."  Details on the third literary award for Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud also can be found on www.alcohologist.com, plus an interview with Christoph Fisher Books.  Mr. Fisher is an acclaimed international author from the UK, among his works is the Alzheimer's book "Time to Let Go."