SPIRITS are more likely to make you feel sexy and energetic than a glass of wine or beer, a study has found.
But beware - gin, rum or vodka is also more likely to result in feelings of aggression than other drinks.
Research by Bangor University published in online journal BMJ Open has measured the positive and negative emotions associated with different alcoholic drinks - from feeling energised, relaxed, sexy and confident to tired, aggressive, ill, restless and tearful.
Around 3.3million deaths and around one in 20 cases of ill health and injury around the world are directly attributable to alcohol.
“For centuries, the history of rum, gin, vodka and other spirits has been laced with violence," said co-author of the study Professor Mark Bellis, Honorary Professor at the College of Health and Behavioural Sciences.
“This global study suggests even today consuming spirits is more likely to result in feelings of aggression than other drinks.
"In the UK, a litre of off-licence spirits can easily be bought for £15 or less, making a double shot only 75 pence.
“Such prices can encourage consumption at levels harmful to the health of the drinker and through violence and injuries also represent a risk to the people around them.”
The researchers hope the study will help create more effective public health interventions.
“Understanding emotions associated with alcohol consumption is imperative to addressing alcohol misuse, providing insight into what emotions influence drink choice between different groups in the population,” they said.
Overall the study found that spirits were more likely to elicit some positive feelings than either beer or wine.
Over half (around 59 per cent) of the 30,000 respondents associated these drinks with feelings of energy and confidence.
And more than four out of 10 associated them with feeling sexy.
Although some respondents reported drinking other beverages, for example cider, the numbers were too small for inclusion in the analysis.
Researchers drew on information people shared with the world’s largest online survey of legal and illicit drug and alcohol use - the Global Drug Survey.
The GDS includes questions on alcohol consumption and the feelings associated with drinking beer, spirits, and red or white wine when at home or when out.
Though spirits made people feel sexy and energised, they were also the least likely to be associated with feeling relaxed (20 per cent).
Red wine was the most likely to elicit this feeling (just under 53 per cent) followed by beer (around 50 per cent).
Red wine, however, is also the most likely to make people feel tired.
Meanwhile a third of spirit drinkers associated this tipple with feelings of aggression compared with around 2.5 per cent of red wine drinkers.
Women were also significantly more likely than men to associate each feeling - except for aggression - with all types of alcohol.
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