Health Checkpoints, Wellbeing & PHQ-4 in Freedom App

Three records, three different questions

The timeline, daily check-in and questionnaire serve different purposes. Read each one on its own terms rather than combining them into a single recovery score.

For example, you might reach the day-seven checkpoint and mark today as Tough. Both entries can be accurate: one describes elapsed time, and the other describes today. A PHQ-4 result covers symptoms over the past two weeks, so it answers a longer-term question.

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See what each health checkpoint means

Twelve checkpoints organize topics to revisit after stopping alcohol. The Health screen shows the previous, current and next checkpoint, with a target date and the time elapsed toward it. Open a checkpoint to read its explanation and sources.

The timeline uses the same last-alcohol date as the Today counter. For example, the day-three hangxiety checkpoint introduces anxiety after drinking. It does not say that anxiety will disappear in three days. Recording a later drink moves the timeline’s starting point; undoing that entry restores the previous period.

A progress ring measures time toward a review date. It cannot tell you how much your liver, sleep or nervous system has recovered.

• Read the guide to health changes after quitting alcohol ↗

Record how the day felt

Choose Tough, Okay or Great in the optional daily wellbeing check-in. Health displays these entries over 14 days so you can compare recent days without relying entirely on memory. You can add, edit or delete past entries.

A missing entry stays a gap. The app does not invent a score for that day or turn your choice into a medical measurement. Earlier records of sleep, energy and mood remain separate from the current daily wellbeing series.

Use a validated four-question screening tool

PHQ-4 is a four-question screening questionnaire about anxiety and low-mood symptoms over the past two weeks. Four answers produce a total from 0 to 12, with separate anxiety and depressive-symptom subscales. Original research evaluated the instrument in primary care and the general population.

Freedom saves your results, shows a 90-day chart and lets you open individual assessments. Comparisons use an earlier result with the same questionnaire version and language. Repeating the check sooner than two weeks means the reporting periods overlap.

After completing the questionnaire, you can review your total, both symptom subscales and an explanation of the result. The result also includes brief practical suggestions and guidance on when to seek a fuller assessment from a doctor or mental-health professional.

PHQ-4 is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnosis. A change in score describes a change in reported symptoms; it does not establish that the app caused an improvement. Discuss persistent or concerning symptoms with a qualified health professional.

Sources & further reading [1] [2]

Keep personal records distinct from app milestones

Wellbeing entries and questionnaire results are stored with your app account. They are personal records rather than community posts. Checkpoint dates, daily entries and PHQ-4 scores each answer a different question, so the app keeps their meanings separate.

Health tracking sits alongside the sobriety counter, savings estimates and coping exercises. It does not replace medical assessment or manage alcohol withdrawal.

• Compare all Freedom app features ↗
• See how the last-drink date and daily calendar work ↗

Key takeaways

• Use checkpoints to revisit educational topics as time passes. The progress ring measures time, not organ recovery.
• Record Tough, Okay or Great to keep a daily wellbeing history you can correct later.
• Use PHQ-4 to record symptoms over two weeks and read the result explanation. Screening can inform a conversation with a professional; it does not provide a diagnosis.

Health Checkpoints FAQ