New Commentary Suggests Ways to Make Contingency Management More Effective For Drugs Like Cocaine and Methamphetamine Get the latest Penn LDI news, research, events, and opportunities. An official website of the United States government VA|News Health Mental Health Top Stories apps for smartphones and other mobile devices can provide an ideal way for Veterans to manage aspects of their wellness outside of traditional in-person appointments with a health care provider Apps offer support and information at users’ fingertips Some apps and other remote tools are becoming not only increasingly common but also more specialized to help with particular health issues Apps can fill the gap where traditional care leaves off reaching Veteran populations that need the most assistance such as those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as those who have difficulty visiting a provider in person VA researchers often partner with the staffs of universities and private companies to study whether apps are useful to Veterans and serve their intended purpose VA can then tailor apps to meet Veterans’ unique needs VA’s Center of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education (CESATE) in Seattle is involved in a partnership to study Step Away a publicly available app that is geared toward reducing alcohol use Step Away allows users to track their drinking and offers judgment-free guidelines to help users cut back It can provide the support that people may need to refrain from drinking alcohol — support that is especially useful during high-risk times One Veteran participant in the CESATE study noted “I’ve actually cut back quite a bit in consumption and it’s made a big difference to me.” Another Veteran explained that although it might seem as if the app would be inconvenient to use but if you want to help get a little bit more control on it there’s different methods and ways that you might not have thought of that are on there.” the Veteran also mentioned that Step Away’s educational component made him more aware of the consequences of drinking and offered him reasons to drink less Even though unhealthy alcohol use is common some Veterans want to keep their problems with alcohol private and diving into treatment to manage alcohol use isn’t always easy The Step Away app can ease that transition in the privacy of a Veteran’s home Veterans who are distancing or quarantined for health reasons or whose distance from a VA medical center makes it difficult to receive in-person counseling or treatment Step Away and similar apps have the potential to help these Veterans improve their health with tools they can use whenever and wherever they choose VA has a suite of mobile apps that are readily available and accessible to all Veterans who are in the VA health care system. In addition to VA’s Telehealth offerings Veterans are encouraged to explore the following ways to seek virtual mental health support: is the associate director of the VA Puget Sound Center of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education (CESATE) and an investigator at the Denver-Seattle Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D) Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care is a research health science specialist in the Seattle CESATE and has collaborated with Dr Hawkins on several research and evaluation projects designed to improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes for Veterans with substance use disorders Mental Health The comments section is for opinions and feedback on this particular article; this is not a customer support channel. If you are looking for assistance, please visit Ask VA or call 1-800-698-2411 never put personally identifiable information (SSAN etc.) or protected health information into the form — it will be deleted for your protection Good morning; celebrating NO TOBACCO DAY is by far the smartest thing anyone could have thought of What a wonderful great smelling world it would be without cigarette smoke I live in a rather large condo community,KINGS POINT Unfortunatly one of them lives in my building He is not allowed to smoke in his own apartment for obvious reasons so he comes out onto the walkway to smoke when he does I have to close all my doors and windows to stop the stink from invading my apartment Who do you appreciate in your life and who appreciates you Social connection is good for your Whole Health and it makes life more enjoyable VA apps can help Veterans who want to kick their smoking habit and improve their health and well-being this Veteran chose to stay in residential treatment longer than she expected Get more resources at VeteransCrisisLine.net An official website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Looking for U.S. government information and services? Visit USA.gov Smartphone App Produces Similar Reductions in Heavy Drinking as Telephone Monitoring and Counseling