TV soaps show alcohol through rose tinted glasses

TV soaps portray alcohol consumption through "rose-tinted glasses" with too little emphasis on the negative effects, according to alcohol charity Drinkaware.

Six-week research by the organisation found that over a third (38%) of soap air time features alcohol.

Despite 162 instances of drinking, the negative effects were rarely shown. Only 1.5% of scenes showed hangovers and less than 1% showed sickness, crime, regret or anti-social behaviour.

Drinkaware believes that the 42% of 11 to 17-year-olds watching pre-watershed soaps are "likely" to copy behaviour on-screen.

It has requested meetings with broadcasters and developed recommendations to help soap producers better depict the risks associated with alcohol.

Suggestions include portraying the negative effects of drinking more often, incorporating the possible long term effects of drinking to excess, raising the profile of soft drink alternatives and creating a partnership with Drinkaware for audience insight and after-show tips.

The UK's top four soaps were examined during the study — Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Eastenders and Hollyoaks.

"When viewers sit down to watch a soap they want to be entertained and certainly aren't expecting to see a public health campaign," said Drinkaware chief executive Chris Sorek. "But soaps are still a useful channel to get information to viewers.

"We need to avoid normalising the idea of consequence-free drinking to excess, especially among under 18s, so people of all ages can make informed decisions about their own drinking based on the facts."

Dr Harry Sumnall, reader in substance abuse at the Centre for Public Heath at Liverpool's John Moores University, added: "We know audiences don't like heavy handed health messages, but the value of soaps is in their reflection of real life; hangovers, accidents, embarrassing situations, and running out of money are real life consequences of letting alcohol use get out of hand."