In a study of almost 8,000 people published in 2021, researchers found this particular combination of ‘why to reduce’ and ‘how to reduce’ messaging can be useful for promoting good health in a population.<\/p>\n
“Telling people alcohol causes cancer<\/a> is just part of the solution \u2013 we also need to give them ways to take action to reduce their risk,” economist and consumer psychologist Simone Pettigrew from The George Institute for Global Health in Australia explained<\/a> when the findings were announced.<\/p>\n Too much drinking<\/a> doesn’t just lead to cancer, of course. Overdoing it on the booze<\/a> is associated with a whole range<\/a> of problems<\/a>, including premature death<\/a>, heart disease<\/a>, digestive issues<\/a>, and an increased risk of dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the study, three surveys were filled out: 7,995 people completed the first, 4,588 of those people completed the second three weeks later, and 2,687 people finished the final survey three weeks after that.<\/p>\n The participants were split up into different groups and shown different advertisements and messages about drinking.<\/p>\n One combination stood out, compared to a control group: A TV ad linking alcohol and cancer, together with a suggestion to keep count of your drinks, was one of the most effective at getting people to try and cut down on alcohol intake.<\/p>\n It was also the only combination where people actually did significantly reduce their alcohol consumption over the six weeks.<\/p>\n Other approaches \u2013 like encouraging people to decide on a number of drinks and then stick to it \u2013 did prompt some of the volunteers to try and cut down, but there was a clear winner based on the people taking part in this research.<\/p>\n “Many people don’t know that alcohol is a carcinogen<\/a>. It’s important information that drinkers should have access to,” said Pettigrew<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We found that pairing information about alcohol and cancer with a particular practical action \u2013 counting their drinks \u2013 resulted in drinkers reducing the amount of alcohol they consumed.”<\/p>\n Alcohol consumption can be attributed to as many as 7 percent of premature deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization<\/a>, and making drinkers more aware<\/a> of the health risks<\/a> is one way of tackling that problem.<\/p>\n While health agencies have also looked at ways of making booze less readily available and more expensive, ultimately, personal choices will determine whether or not behavior<\/a> around alcohol<\/a> will shift in the long term.<\/p>\n In this particular study, the participants were chosen to be “broadly demographically representative of the Australian drinking public.”<\/p>\n Related: Your IQ in High School Can Predict Your Alcohol Use Later in Life<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n It’s not an approach that will definitely work elsewhere \u2013 but it seems that counting your drinks could be one option to try if you want to cut down<\/a>.<\/p>\n “There are limited resources available for alcohol harm-reduction campaigns, so it’s important to find out which messages resonate best to ensure they have the best chance of working,” said Pettigrew<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PeopleEatingDrinkingWine642.jpg\")
Researchers discovered an effective way to encourage people to drink less alcohol. (Adrienn\/Pexels)<\/p>\n![\"Subscribe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Octopus-black-final-642x272.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Different](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pexels-thongtran95-14448570-642x429.jpg\")
Overdoing it on the booze is associated with a whole range of problems. (Ketut Subiyanto\/Pexels)<\/p>\n