Cited by 48Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesHealth Literacy and Information AccessibilityDigital Mental Health Interventions

Negotiating the ‘grey area between normal social drinking and being a smelly tramp’: a qualitative study of people searching for help online to reduce their drinking

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Khadjesari, Zarnie, Stevenson, Fiona, Godfrey, Christine, Murray, Elizabeth·2015·Health Expectations

Abstract

Introduction and aims: Delivering brief interventions for hazardous and harmful drinking on the Internet may broaden the availability of services and overcome some barriers to accessing help in person. The Down Your Drink (DYD) website, an extended brief intervention, attracted a large number of people looking to reduce their drinking. The aim was to explore the experiences of this e‐help seeking population. Method: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with participants in the DYD trial – an online trial of the effectiveness of DYD compared with an information‐only website. Interviewees were asked how they came across the DYD website. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed by a multidisciplinary team using detailed thematic analysis. Results: Eighteen participants were interviewed. Most interviewees perceived their drinking to be a problem, which led them to search the Internet and register for the DYD trial in order to gain access to an intervention to help them reduce their drinking. The type of help required varied from information on the harms of drinking to help with a recognized problem. The privacy of the Internet was perceived as important when searching for help with drinking, as this avoids the stigma and embarrassment associated with help seeking in person. Almost all interviewees perceived a lack of services both online and offline for people wanting to moderate their drinking. Conclusion: There is a perceived gap in services for hazardous and harmful drinkers wanting to reduce their drinking which could be addressed using online interventions.

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  • Digital health interventions can result in harm through various mechanisms, including being designed for harmful outcomes, making fraudulent claims, containing inaccurate information, misinterpretation of accurate information, opportunity costs, disillusionment, and data leaks.

    “There are various mechanisms by which DHI could result in harm.”

    From Evaluating Digital Health Interventions (2016) · cites this paper as [59]

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [6]Dutton WH, Blank G. Cultures of the Internet: The Internet in Britain. Oxford Internet Survey 2013. Oxford: University of Oxford, Oxford Internet Institute, 2013.
  2. [24]Robson C. Real World Research, 2nd edn Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.

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Authors
Khadjesari, Z., Stevenson, F., Godfrey, C., & Murray, E.
Affiliations
  • The Royal Free Hospital (GB)
  • University of York (GB)
Corresponding author
Khadjesari, Zarnie
Venue
Health Expectations
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2015-02-12
Volume
18
Issue
6
Pages
2011-2020
ISSN
  • 1369-6513 (ISSN-L)
  • 1369-7625
OpenAlex
W2017372662
Cited by
46
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1
FWCI
1.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Health Expectations (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (acceptedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
National Institute for Health Research
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
Keywords
online help-seeking, brief intervention, alcohol consumption reduction, perceived stigma, privacy, help-seeking barriers, service gaps
MeSH terms
Help-Seeking Behavior, Adult, Aged, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Internet, Qualitative Research

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