James Bond Labeled A Severe Alcoholic According To New Academic Study

James Bond has been deemed a 'severe alcoholic' by an academic study that examined how frequently [...]

James Bond has been deemed a "severe alcoholic" by an academic study that examined how frequently the super-spy drinks onscreen.

Public health researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand examined 24 Bond films, deeming him a "chronic" alcohol abuserand suggesting that MI-6 should have provided him help and counseling services.

"There is strong and consistent evidence that James Bond has a chronic alcohol consumption problem at the 'severe' end of the spectrum," the report says (via Telegraph).

The analysis, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found Bond sipped a drink 109 times, or an average of 4.5 times in each film.

More like blood alcohol level .007, am I right?

The study concluded that becuase of the proximity between the scenes of Bond drinking his trademark martinis and undertaking super-spy antics, it is likely that he is often driving, flying, shooting, and doing other dangerous things while legally impaired.

"MI6 management needs to redefine Bond's job to reduce his stress levels," the study said.

Lead author, Professor Nick Wilson at the University of Otago's Department of Public Health, said that beyond just offering him help, his employers sometimes actively contributed to his drinking problems.

"To start with, M should no longer offer Bond drinks in workplace settings," Wilson said.

The most dangerous drinking Bond has ever done was reportedly in the 2008 film The Quantum of Solace, in which he was seen consuming the equivalent of 24 units of alcohol on a plane. The study determined that this could have elevated his blood alcohol level to fatal levels.

These kinds of studies are not uncommon; film is an easy, controlled environment in which students can examine characters in their natural environment, behaving as they would if they were not being watched (since, narratively, they are not). This allows a detached clinical diagnosis -- often with tongue at least partially in cheek -- and is likely to get some attention for the study and its publishers, since people outside of the field in question will pick up on the novelty of examining the health and wellness habits of beloved fictional characters.

Fans will have to wait a while to see whether Bond's alcohol habit is improved in the forthcoming twenty-fifth James Bond movie, which is due in theaters in 2020 from filmmaker Cary Fukunaga.

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