Want to create a healthier you? These tools were made for you.
Apps to help you to cut back on drinking
Daybreak
A free app from Hello Sunday Morning, Daybreak offers self-directed activities to help you change your drinking habits, whether you want to cut back or quit drinking completely. ‘Daybreakers’ receive support from like-minded community members who can help each other achieve their alcohol change goals. One-on-one coaching is also available. Daybreak is free for Australian residents and is confidential, anonymous and secure.
Drinksmeter
A free app containing tools like goal setting and a drinking diary to help you cut down your drinking, including an interactive drink pouring tool helping you make sense of standard drinks. Confidential, personalised feedback is provided about your alcohol use, based on risk factors in your family and medical history. The app can also record and monitor how much you spend on alcohol and how many kilojoules or calories the alcohol you drink contains. It compares your drinking with other users of the app, and with Australia’s national alcohol guidelines.
How much is too much?
The less alcohol you drink, the lower your risk of harm.
The Australian guidelines recommend you have:
- at least two alcohol-free days a week
- no more than four standard drinks a day, and
- no more than ten standard drinks a week.
Goal-setting and tracking your progress
You can also set a goal and make a plan to reduce the amount you drink. Having a plan helps you stay on track.
Sharing your goals and plan with close family members and friends can also help you to achieve them.
Your plan might be to have more alcohol free days or to have less alcohol when you drink. To help with your plan, think about:
- Your goals — Why do you want to reduce or quit alcohol?
- Your triggers — Why and when do you drink alcohol?
- Strategies to overcome these — How will you reduce or quit alcohol?
- Support networks and services — Who will you turn to for help?
Reaching out for extra help
If you have been drinking heavily for a long time it can be dangerous to reduce or quit alcohol on your own. Your doctor can help by advising on withdrawal planning, prescribing medication, or referring you to withdrawal and counselling services.
If you want to talk to someone about your alcohol use, you can call the 24 hour National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.
What is a standard drink?
Knowing what equates to a standard drink is important if you are thinking about reducing or stopping drinking alcohol. It is also important to know this so that if you are choosing to drink, you can ensure that you are drinking within the recommended Guidelines.
In Australia, one standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol, which looks different depending on the type of drink and the glass or container it is served in. One standard drink equates to a can of mid-strength beer, a 100 ml glass of red wine, or a 30 ml. shot of spirits.
Check out the Department of Health guide on standard drinks.
You can also try the online standard drinks tool from AlcoholThinkAgain to measure your usual pour.
Supporting friends
Conversations is an interactive tool from Movember which provides practical advice and guidance about having conversations with men who might be struggling – whether with alcohol or other issues in their life.
