Prevention App in Germany

Young People’s Alcohol Consumption: First Smartphone-App for Prevention

Binge drinking and very young people who have to stay in hospital because of acute alcohol intoxication: alcohol-misuse is increasingly noticed as a serious problem of several young people everywhere in the country.  As part of a project called “HaLT” in the area of Osterode am Harz the specialist department for addiction and prevention related to the Diakonie of Herzberg  and the community of Bad Lauterberg started an innovative project of prevention which aims to inform young people in their living environment about alcohol and the risks: with a smartphone-app! This region takes the second place in the statistics of Lower Saxony on the item of alcohol caused admissions to hospital.

This emergency app offers information about alcohol, a simulation game and emergency aid in case of strong alcohol misuse for encouraging young people to estimate the risk of alcohol consumption and  to react in the right way in emergency cases.

A problem is not only the increasing consumption of alcohol. It is accompanied by a misjudgment of the situation.  Young people do not recognize a misuse in case of drinking a lot and they do not bring friends in hospital in case of alcohol intoxication because they see drinking a lot of alcohol as normal and that someone feel bad after having drunken  is not a wonder. That feeling bad and intoxication is a difference and that it can cause serious illnesses and in the worst case dead is not part of their way of thinking. Using the app may show them their limits and bring them to reflect about the consequences of alcohol misuse without an educational impact. That may motivate young people to assume responsibility for their selves and their friends and help them in emergency cases.

Students from the Leibniz University Hannover who study “Software Engineering” created this app.  You can get it for free on Android run Smartphones in Google Playstore under  “HaLT Alkohol Notfall”.