UAA researcher Patrick Dulin develops app to help people with alcohol abuse disorders
by Michelle Saport |
A recent Alaska Dispatch News article highlighted a smartphone application designed by Patrick Dulin, faculty in the UAA Department of Psychology and director of the UAA Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services.
From adn.com: "The state agency responsible for looking after drug and alcohol offenders working their way through the Alaska court system are trying a new intervention tool -- a smartphone application.
Step Away is a system for helping people with alcohol use disorders. It was developed by Dr. Patrick Dulin, an associate professor in the clinical and community psychology doctoral program at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The app leads users through coping strategies, monitors how often they drink, identifies 'triggers' and gives weekly feedback reports tracking their progress in kicking bad habits. 'One of the ways I think about it is that it's like an external frontal lobe,' Dulin said. 'It's a control mechanism that's outside of users' bodies.'"
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