TVScope: Episode five of the series Should I worry about...? looked at alcohol and its implications for our health.
Should I worry about... Drinking. BBC 1, 8.30pm, Thursday, August 11th
The programme got off to an unusual start with the presenter, Richard Hammond, videoing his own alcohol consumption over a one-week period. Never considering himself to be a serious drinker, the celluloid evidence revealed a different story.
When analysed by his GP, the video showed that he consumed 56 units of alcohol in that particular week. And if the fact that consuming 50 or more units a week is considered "very heavy drinking" surprised him, then the news that drinking over eight units in one session is classified as "binge drinking", left Richard reeling. Visibly shaken by the results, he veered from shock to denial and well, to be honest, back to denial for the rest of the programme.
Meeting his doctor in a pub where he was given his results, he went on to survey his fellow drinkers to assess if the average punter knows just how much they're consuming. With a pint of beer (5 per cent proof) rating a score of 2.8 units, and just over a half glass of wine scoring 1.5, 50 per cent of those questioned were well over their daily recommended unit allowance without being aware of it.
Two young women who were in the pub were asked to take part in an experiment whereby they changed drinking roles; Kate (a regular drinker) agreeing to go on the wagon while Emma (a teetotaller) was asked to drink a pint of beer a day. Armed with camcorders, the two guinea pigs sallied forth to video the results. Blood pressure readings, liver function tests, weight, co-ordination and accuracy were monitored along with sleep activity over four weeks.
Within days of giving up drink, Kate was sleeping better, feeling more alert and was showing a rapid improvement in her accuracy and concentration scores. But in an effort not to drink, she was avoiding pubs and clubs and, as a result, felt isolated from her friends. She reported feeling annoyed with drinkers and was not amused by their inebriated antics.
In stark contrast, Emma - now drinking three units a day - was having a much harder time. Hungover and sleep-deprived, her co-ordination and accuracy test results declined, her blood pressure increased and physically she looked the worse for wear.
Despite all the evidence, Richard remained unconvinced that his alcohol intake was bad for him. So off he went to France to assess if how we drink makes a difference to the way it affects our bodies. While the presenter drank four bottles of beer on an empty stomach, a Frenchman drank the unit equivalent in wine while eating a good meal. Breathalyser tests showed that drinking on an empty stomach resulted in blood alcohol levels of 126, while wine taken with a meal resulted in levels of only 16.
One startling observation was the effect this continental style of drinking has on behaviour. Filmed on a Friday night there was no evidence of drunken antics from the residents of the French city. In contrast, the grim picture of binge drinking was all too visible on the streets of Britain.
Although the programme promised to look at alcohol consumption in a different light, it failed to deliver in the end.
Intoxicating viewing? I don't think so.