Impact of supportive text messages on Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
There were significant differences between the mean baseline and 3-month Brief Substance Use Craving Scale scores P=.01 (-2.17, 95% CI -0.62 to 3.72), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores, P=.004 (-5.08, 95% CI -1.65 to -8.51), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scores, P=.02 (-3.02, 95% CI -0.48 to -5.56) for Text4Hope-Addiction Support subscribers. Overall, 69% of reported that Text4Hope-Addiction Support helped them cope with depression; 85% felt connected to a support system; 77% were hopeful of their ability to manage addiction issues; and 73% felt that their overall mental well-being was improved.
There was a trend for patients with alcohol use disorder who received twice daily supportive text messages to have more than double the mean number of days to their first drink after discharge from a residential treatment program compared to patients who did not receive the daily supportive text messages as part of their post-discharge treatment (60 vs. 26 days respectively).
Patients with depression and alcohol use disorder who received daily supportive text messages for six months as part of their post-discharge community treatment had about 55% greater reduction in average units of alcohol per drinking day compared to patients who did not receive the daily supportive messages as part of their post-discharge treatment.