Stand Down vs Beyond MST

If you are a U.S. Veteran and would like help in either cutting back or quitting alcohol altogether, Stand Down is here to help. Stand Down was created with extensive input from Veterans and VA psychologists. It brings the tools to make a positive change in your drinking easily and privately to your smartphone. Stand Down will be your personal assistant as you go through the process of changing your drinking. It provides the structure you need to help you stop altogether or to reduce your drinking to safe levels. It will provide you with the tools and the accountability to make a positive change and stay with it. With Stand Down, there is no need to wait until your next meeting with a counselor to receive helpful strategies and feedback on your progress while on your journey to a new relationship with alcohol. Immediate help will be right there on your smartphone. Stand Down has been in development since 2018. Research has shown that it has helped people reduce their drinking by as much as 60% and that users indicated that it was very helpful in giving them helpful tools and keeping them on track. Stand Down is an empirically supported system that can help you take control of your drinking. Stand Down will help you to privately and effectively: • Become more aware of your drinking patterns and triggers. • Set an overall drinking objective (to either stop drinking OR moderate your drinking) as well as smaller intermediate goals to help you succeed in stages. • Keep yourself accountable through continual feedback on your progress. • Stay in control when you are feeling tempted to drink by providing immediately available tools. • Learn new and helpful strategies for dealing with cravings, bad moods and boredom. • Keep you on track during your personally defined “high risk times” for drinking. • Remind yourself about your reasons for making a change when you are feeling like drinking or are in a tempting situation. • Share your progress with others (family, friends or health care provider). • Help you prepare for “high risk events” in the coming week - and strategically avoid alcohol triggers. • Identify alternate (non-drinking) activities and schedule them directly into your calendar. If you choose to utilize Stand Down, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you allow the app to send you alerts and notifications. These are designed to keep you on track, particularly during times when you need help the most.

Beyond MST is a free, secure, trauma-sensitive mobile app that was created specifically to support the health and well-being of survivors of sexual assault or harassment during military service, also called military sexual trauma (MST). The app has over 30 specialized tools and other features to help those who use it cope with challenges, manage symptoms, improve their quality of life and find hope. You can also take brief assessments in the app, set self-care goals, track recovery progress, and learn more about MST and common concerns. You can use the app on your own or as a companion to formal treatment, and it may be helpful to survivors of other types of unwanted sexual experiences, too. The app keeps your information private; no account is needed, and any personal information entered in the app is not shared with anyone, including the VA. You can set a PIN lock for extra privacy. You are not alone: the Beyond MST app can help. Beyond MST was made by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile Mental Health team at the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division in collaboration with the National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division and the national VA MST Support Team.