- The Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership have launched a new app to connect those recovering from drug or alcohol addiction to local support services.
- The Addition Recovery App (ARC) is the first to offer a personalised emergency button, quickly connecting users to help when things get tough.
- The app offers easy access, at any time, to a range of professional support services and help from others dealing with drink and drug problems. There is also a calendar to help plan recovery time, the capability to track mood, prompts for motivational exercises and inspirational quotes.
Today the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership have launched the new Addiction Recovery Companion (ARC) – an app that puts drug and alcohol recovery into people’s own hands.
The app is the first to offer a personalised emergency button, making it even easier for Edinburgh citizens to reach out to the people most important in recovery when things get tough, or something goes wrong.
The app also provides live information from all drug and alcohol support services in Edinburgh including:
- Information about local recovery networks in Edinburgh, keep you motivated and help you manage your time
- Live information on recovery meetings taking place every day across the Capital, where people can meet and share their experience, strength and hope
- Up to date information on professional services available
- a calendar function to help people plan their day, stay motivated and manage your time
- a diary to keep track of recovery progress and record the ups and downs of recovery
- Inspirational quotes and exercises aimed at those who need a mental boost
The ARC app provides a personalised experience for every user, as everyone’s recovery journey is different. It allows users to make a plan that is right for them alongside giving them the opportunity and the space to reflect on their journey and follow their progress.
Visit https://arcapp.co.uk/ to download the app on android or IOS.
Judith Proctor, Chief Officer of the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “The recovery community is a huge force in Edinburgh. There is lots of professional support available across the Capital, but more importantly, people are also increasingly helping each other to deal with drink and drug problems.
“That’s why the Addiction Recovery Companion app is so important. It is filled with information to support and guide people in their recovery, alongside tools to immediately connect them to those who can help if things get tough.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “I welcome the launch of the new Addiction Recovery Companion App to support people accessing services for drug and alcohol recovery.
“Using technology to improves access to drug and alcohol services, for people recovering from addiction, is a clever initiative from Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership.
“Edinburgh and Scotland face a real challenge to reduce the number of drug related deaths in Scotland and this tool can be part of a bigger strategy for peoples road to recovery.
“It is important that people who do not have access to a smart phone are still able to easily access these services.”
When asked about the benefits of the app, users have said:
“It’s such a useful tool. I can see me using it more and more the further we go back to normal.“
“I’m quite disorganised and the calendar/map is great. I like that, when I’m in town, I can just pull up the map to find out what’s happening nearby.”
“It’s a clever app. The inclusion of the reflection section is useful for the days where I need some motivation.”
“For me, structure is important, and the Arc App helps with that.“