Boozy Aussies wear beer goggles

The beer goggle phenomenon - where a night on the tiles is apparently helping transform ugly ducklings into beauties across the nation - is being studied, with men and women revealing how their judgment has been affected on a night out.

Nearly a quarter of those who took part in the FebFast survey said they find others better looking after having a few drinks.

A tipple or two also boosts their own self-confidence, the results show, with many admitting to feeling sexier after getting on the grog.

And almost one in four of the 1009 respondents said a few drinks also helps them believe others find them more aesthetically pleasing.

But our sober friends tell a different story.

Almost three quarters of those surveyed said they don't find drinkers attractive when they're not under the influence themselves.

The nationally-weighted survey, which quizzed drinkers aged 20 to 69, also found 27 per cent of people feel the need to drink at work gatherings to fit in or be accepted.

Almost one third also believe drinking at these events will help them form better relationships with colleagues, while one in five said they had done something they later regretted.

FebFast patron and media personality Sarah Wilson said perceptions of drinking are linked to feeling good.

"We've been lulled into thinking (that) drinking makes us feel better, more at ease," she said in a statement.

"Many of us drink to avoid feeling nervous or bored and to quash end-of-day agitation. But many of us don't know what it feels like to be comfortable socially without the crutch alcohol provides."

FebFast commissioned the survey, conducted via the internet in November, ahead of its February campaign, designed to encourage Australians to stop drinking for the entire month.

It aims to raise money to help youngsters overcome drug and alcohol problems while at the same time improving people's health.

That's probably a good thing, given the results also reveal how regular drinkers believe their habit is not doing them any harm.

One in four said they hadn't gone for more than a week without drinking, while half of those said they had not taken a longer break because they believed their health wasn't being affected.

Men were also revealed to be bigger drinkers than women, with more than 11 per cent of blokes downing 15 standard drinks in a week compared to five per cent of women.

Women, on the other hand, are more inclined to drink from stress stemming from relationship issues.

Forty one per cent said spousal problems prompted them to pick up the bottle, compared to just 26 per cent of men.