Women are less likely to drink excess alcohol if they are reminded in advance of a previous drinking experience.
Research led by the University of Portsmouth found that memories could play a big part in restricting the demand for alcohol.
The findings were consistent with previous research which found people do not eat as much food when they are reminded of an earlier meal just before they start eating.
The latest research involved 50 women aged 18 to 46-years-old who were randomly split into two groups.
The first group was asked to recall a recent alcohol experience in detail, and the second had to recall a car journey, to allow comparison.
“Participants were then asked to consume a vodka-based drink, at a rate that felt comfortable to them,” the research report said.
“Participants watched a mood-neutral program while drinking to provide a more naturalistic environment and distract them from any suspicion that their rate of consumption was being recorded.
“The findings revealed individuals asked to recall a previous drinking episode took longer to consume the alcoholic beverage, which suggests a lower motivation for alcohol.”
The researchers said one theory to explain the findings was that women may have less desire for alcohol because they want to avoid excess calories.
The reminder also might make them more conscious of the risks alcohol posed to health and weight.
Dr Lorenzo Stafford, a multisensory researcher in the university’s School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, said an alcohol “memory cue” might prompt women to estimate the number of alcohol calories they had consumed.
“The study also found that those individuals who drink regularly – categorising them at a high risk – consumed the alcohol faster than those in the low risk group,” the research report said.
“This demonstrates that the speed of consumption is a valid measure of alcohol motivation.”
The full report is on the University of Portsmouth website.
