People are likely to drink more alcohol on days where they are more active, according to new research.

Using smartphone technology and a daily diary to report exercise and alcohol consumption, researchers involved in the Northwestern Medicine® study were able to identify a link between the two.

For this study, 150 participants between the ages of 18 to 89 recorded their level of physical activity and alcohol consumption in smartphones and journals at the end of the day. This was done at three different times of the year, with each bout lasting three weeks.

Lead study author David E. Conroy, professor of preventive medicine and deputy director of the Center for Behavior and Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues found that people were more likely to drink more from Thursdays through to Sundays, which were days that people also tend to be more active.

“Monday through Wednesday people batten down the hatches and they cut back on alcohol consumption. But once that ‘social weekend’ kicks off on Thursdays, physical activity increases and so does alcohol consumption,” said Conroy in a statement.

Conroy stresses the need to figure out how people can be involved in physical activity safely and effectively without having the negative effects associated with drinking too much alcohol.

The findings of the study are published online in Health Psychology, an American Psychological Association journal.