Smart Phone App Helps Addicts Recover

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is changing with the times – there is now a smart phone application that can help in the recovery process.

According to a news release from V3 Integrated Marketing, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida rehab center called Challenges Addiction Treatment and Relapse Prevention Center “is one of the first centers in the United States” to use the smart phone technology.

The app was developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin’s engineering department. It is called “Addiction-CHESS”(ACHESS), named after the University’s Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies.

The news release said:

Kim Johnson of ACHESS says the Smart Phone was designed for someone who is either currently in treatment, or who is just leaving treatment. The technology helps the recovering addict stay in touch with their counselor or treatment center as well as their entire recovery support system (sponsors, peers, family, friends etc.) and ACHESS gives the patient 24-hour access to support from a counselor, as well as other applications that support recovery, via an Android Evo Smart Phone.

Johnson said the technology allows a patient to have instant communication with their counselor. “Someone with a chronic disease is dealing with it all the time, but the treatment provider is with that person only briefly.” This allows that relationship to continue on a more regular basis, Johnson said.

The app also includes a “panic button” and GPS that activates on its own whenever a patient gets near a trouble spot, such as a former favorite bar.

Dale Redlich, Founder of the Challenges Addiction Treatment Center, is quick to point out that the app is not a substitute for counseling and treatment.

“This technology does not take the place of traditional forms of treatment. Instead, it assists and enhances the ability of someone to maintain an active and healthy recovery as a critical component of relapse prevention.”