Online treatment of problematic alcohol use to be tested on adults

Alcohol Holmenkollen gang bangAlcohol. Photo:Pixabay

Department of intoxicants in Helse Bergen will conduct an experiment with internet treatment of people over the age of 50 displaying risky alcohol consumption.

According to Bergens Tidende newspaper, the pilot project in Bergen is firstly, a pilot project, where the hope is that treatment of alcohol problems on the internet will lower the threshold for asking for help
to change the drinking patterns.

‘’Many of those who have problems with alcohol never seek help. It’s too shameful, the symptoms are hard to detect, and people around them who suspect are reluctant to take it up’’ said researcher and project manager, Linn-Heidi Lunde at the Department of intoxication medicine in Bergen.

She is a specialist in ageing and intoxication and points out that when you pass 50 years of age, even moderate amounts of alcohol can be harmful to health. Therefore, it is worrying that people over the age of 50 are most prone to alcohol-related diseases, while the statistics show that Norwegians between the ages of 50 and 70 drink both more alcohol, and more often, than before.

‘’We think there is a lot of risky use, that they drink a little too much a bit too often. No one should drink more than seven-eight units a week’’ said Lunde.

If the test project works, it may be relevant to offer drug treatment online in the primary and specialist health services.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today