Alcohol consumption in television programming in three English-speaking cultures.

Previous research relating television advertising and alcohol consumption indicates no meaningful relationships. This study focused on observed drinking behaviour in comedy, soap opera, drama, and police/detective programmes produced for British, American and Canadian television. Results indicated British television fiction had three times the amount of alcohol consumption seen in either American or Canadian programming. In spite of this more frequent portrayal of alcohol consumption, examination of World Drinking Trends and other alcohol-related statistics (i.e. cirrhosis and alcohol-related auto accidents) indicated no greater level of alcohol misuse in the U.K. than in Canada or the United States. In fact, available statistics indicate significantly lower rates of liver cirrhosis in Britain as opposed to Canada and the United States. Hypotheses regarding the absence of relation between fictional and actual alcohol consumption were discussed.