Researchers say that British public-service ads that use scenes of drinkers being thrown out of pubs or passing out may actually encourage -- not prevent -- overconsumption, UPI reported Dec. 10.

The ads may be "catastrophically misconceived" because they rely on the assumption that being drunk causes social disapproval, while in fact many of the young people interviewed by researchers said the opposite was true.

Researcher Christine Griffin of the University of Bath and colleagues found that even drinking stories with negative outcomes can be entertaining for young drinkers and help bind friendships and group membership.