Study Finds Increasing Non-Alcoholic Drink Options May Reduce Alcohol Use

When people are offered a range of drink options, they are more likely to choose a non-alcoholic drink if there are more of them available than alcoholic drinks, a new study finds.

When people were offered eight drink options, they were 48% more likely to choose a non-alcoholic drink when the proportion of non-alcoholic drink options increased from four (50%) to six (75%). When the proportion of non-alcoholic drink options dropped from four to two (25%), participants were 46% less likely to select a non-alcoholic drink.

“Many licensed venues already offer several non-alcoholic options but these are often stored out of direct sight, for example in low-level fridges behind the bar,” lead author Anna Blackwell of the University of Bristol said in a news release. “Our results indicate that making these non-alcoholic products more visible to customers may influence them to make healthier choices.”