You might think pre-drinking is saving you on your purse contents, but researchers have revealed they you are making a false economy.
According to the report, people who drink alcohol at home before they head out end up drinking twice as much because they drink the same amount while out at the bar than they would have done without drinking at home.
Scientists said those who ‘pre-load’ before heading out for the night are also more likely to engage in ‘risky behaviour’, including taking drugs or having unsafe sex. Furthermore, they will suffer from blackouts during the night or bad hangovers the next day.
One in five people surveyed reported using drugs and eight per cent had unprotected sex when they did not plan to after drinking a few before the night out on the tiles.
Five per cent of men and three per cent of women injured themselves or someone else after ‘pre-drinking.’
Florian Labhart, of Addiction Switzerland which conducted the study of 183 people, told the Daily Mail: “Pre-drinking has been found in about one third of all on-premise drinking, which is a very high rate.
“Considering that pre-drinking leads people to consume nearly twice the normal amount of alcohol on a given night, its prevalence should not be underestimated from a public-health perspective.
“It’s important that young people count the number of drinks they have during a night and to remember how many drinks they had already when they reach a new drinking location.”
Dr Shannon Kenney, a co-author of the study, said pre-drinking did not reduce or replace the amount of alcohol consumed later on in the night.
She said drinkers should pace themselves and avoid playing drinking games.
The findings are due to be published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
