In an attempt to keep its citizens from drinking too many Hot Toddies and G&Ts (that’d be gin and tonics) this holiday season, the United Kingdom’s Department of Health is offering a free cell phone application for keeping track of just how many drinks those chaps are consuming.
The alcohol tracker application, which can be downloaded from the NHS Choices website (for Windows or iTunes), will display graphs tracking the drinking patterns of its user. By entering the amount of wine, beer, whiskey, or whatever they’ve consumed, the tracker will then calculate the units of alcohol imbibed, and ultimately present personalized feedback on their drinking habits.
The motive behind the new tracker is both to shrink the number of drunk-driving accidents and reduce excessive drinking, which has been linked to a range of health problems, stated a BBC report. “It is all too easy to lose track of how much you drink,” said the UK’s public health minister Gillian Merron, “ so as the festive parties build up, this innovative tool will help people keep tables on their drinking – wherever they are.”
Drinkaware, a “responsible drinking charity,” has backed the tracker device, and its CEO Chris Sorek comments, “Trying to stick within the daily unit guidelines will help people avoid the January slump and the long term health implications associated with drinking too much alcohol.”
I say, “Long live the Queen.”
And when do we get that app in the U.S.A.?
What do you hens think?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
There is an app in the USA called “Drink Tracker.” Britain and the U.S. have different standards for measuring a drink so I’d recommend using one designed for wherever you’re raising your glass this holiday season!