In episode 8, Dr. Ruth Crowther speaks to Dominique Robert-Hendren about Hello Sunday Morning, the Daybreak app, alcohol use, and the drinking culture in Australia. They discuss alcohol use during the festive season and the future of Hello Sunday Morning.

Dominique is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience as a clinician and mental health executive. She was the National Mental Health Program and Services Director for Australia’s largest private health care organisation, responsible for driving the transformation in service design of evidence-informed innovative programs and new models of care, including an effective national digital mental health care strategy during COVID19 for both patients and employees. Dominique is a behavioural health scientist, research scholar, psychology board-approved clinical supervisor and published author. She holds membership on several national committees and is a national keynote speaker on psychological safety, trauma-informed care, Alcohol Use Disorder and workplace mental health and wellbeing.

Drinking habits in Australia and the shift in culture?

There is a slow but significant shift in Australian’s drinking culture, particularly when compared to 20 years ago. The average age where someone would start drinking has shifted from 14 to 16 years of age. COVID-19 has also had an impact on drinking behavior, increasing alcohol consumption for middle-aged Australians, but the younger generations tend to be making healthier choices.

While the literature is quite mixed there is promising data emerging. Improved education in schools, awareness, and knowledge amongst parents to make informed decisions around alcohol in the home has all contributed to this shift. There has also been a shift in treatment, with one of the most significant changes being detox and other alcohol-related treatments in the home which has produced some good outcomes. At-home treatment can be supported by the Daybreak app, providing peer support to maintain and promote recovery.

About the Daybreak app?

The Daybreak app was developed to help individuals change their relationship with alcohol, quit or reduce drinking, provide information on what happens when you stop drinking and alcohol alternatives. It provides individuals with lived experience stories and resources, the ability to share their own journey, receive support from Care Navigators, save photos to show development, and a range of experiments to change their lifestyle. The app is anonymous and provides an easy entry into a support network, which is pivotal for recovery.

The app was first developed in 2016, and this first version was largely an open space for people to share their experiences and challenges of trying to moderate or give up drinking and share their ideas. People were really drawn to the idea that they were getting tips and advice from their own peers with the same lived experience and seeking more. Based on feedback and other ideas, new elements were introduced including moderators, risk factor identification to provide additional support to those at high risk, validated tools for decision making, and care navigation.

Resources in development from Hello Sunday Morning

In 2021 Hello Sunday Morning developed a three-year strategy plan and a digital health plan to work through the stepped model of care. Key things included in these plans are the Daybreak app, which is the core service offering, and the online community. Within and alongside these services, more resources will be included in the care navigation service and an online screening tool for alcohol, depression and anxiety will be released next year, which will include a personalised recommendation outline that can be shared with a health professional.

Hello Sunday Morning: https://hellosundaymorning.org/

Daybreak (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hellosundaymorning.android.challenges&hl=en

Daybreak (Apple App Store): https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1107514492

Contact Hello Sunday Morning at: support@daybreakprogram.org

Listen to the full conversation below. You can also access Digital Mental Health Musings on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Deezer.