FIVE THINGS ABOUT BOOZE.

1 GIN DRINKERS’ TEARS

Drinkers have long blamed gin for inducing tears and sadness, but a new study suggests the urban myth may have some foundation. The biggest study looking into how different alcoholic drinks affect the emotions has found that spirits are far worse than beer or wine for triggering bouts of depression and unexpected weeping. In a survey of almost 30,000 people aged 18 to 34 by Public Health Wales, nearly one-quarter said spirits left them tearful.

2 RELAX WITH WINE

Spirits were also the least likely to be associated with feeling relaxed, with just 20 per cent of people claiming drinks like gin, vodka and whisky calmed them down. By comparison, more than half of red wine drinkers said they felt more relaxed after their favourite tipple, a feeling also shared with 50 per cent of beer drinkers.

3 AGGRESSIVE CONSUMPTION

Drinking spirits was also more likely to draw out negative feelings than all the other types of alcohol, according to the research. Nearly one-third of spirit drinkers associated their intake with feelings of aggression compared with around 2.5 per cent of red wine drinkers.

4 ‘MOTHER’S RUIN’

In the 17th century, gin was labelled “Mother’s ruin” after the government allowed unlicensed gin production, sparking thousands of distilleries to spring up throughout England, where the cheap drink was consumed in large quantities by the poor, particularly women. Also on the subject of gin, it was comedian Dylan Moran who coined the phrase that it is “less of a drink and more of a mascara thinner.”

5 IT’S NOT ALL BAD

The Welsh study found spirits did have some benefits. Nearly six in 10 respondents said gin, whisky and vodka increased their energy and confidence levels. And four out of 10 said they made them feel sexier.