Why Whisky Galore! should come with a health warning

Published on Tuesday 3 March 2009 21:11

WATCHING alcohol being consumed on television can make viewers reach for the bottle themselves, a study has found.

Volunteers were more likely to help themselves to beer or wine than a soft drink when shown films or adverts portraying alcohol, said researchers.

The findings, reported in the journal Alcohol And Alcoholism, provide the first clear evidence that alcohol on TV has an immediate effect on drinking habits.

The Dutch and Canadian scientists set up a "home cinema" at their laboratory, complete with a large-screen television and minibar stocked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Pairs of young male students aged 18 to 29 were asked to make themselves comfortable and watch an hour-long film clip with two commercial breaks. During this time they had unrestricted access to the minibar. Different films and adverts were shown that varied in the extent to which they featured alcohol.

The 80 students were split into four groups.

One group watched the film American Pie, in which the characters drank alcohol 18 times and alcoholic drinks were portrayed an additional 23 times. The film was interrupted by commercial breaks which included adverts for alcohol. Another group watched the same film with neutral commercial breaks, devoid of adverts for alcohol.

The third group watched the film 40 Days And 40 Nights, in which alcohol was consumed only three times and alcoholic drinks shown 15 times, with commercial breaks advertising alcohol.

The fourth group also watched 40 Days And 40 Nights, but with commercials in which alcohol was absent.

Students in the first group, who saw alcohol portrayed extensively both in the film American Pie and the adverts, drank an average of nearly three bottles of alcohol.

In contrast, those who watched 40 Days And 40 Nights together with "no-alcohol" adverts, drank just 1.5 bottles. The most anyone drank was four bottles, and the least amount drunk was none.