The scary reality of binge drinking

After reading all the disturbing reports in the UK papers about ladette culture, and female binge drinkers, I forced myself to take a good look at my social life over the last few years to see if I fell into that category. And I scared myself with the results.



Binge Drinking has been defined as the consumption of large quantities of alcohol at a single session resulting in intoxication, and as much as I now hate to admit it, intoxication on a night out at University was the norm, not just for me - for everyone.

My university drinking days make me wonder how my liver still manages to function and Im surprised I actually have enough brain cells intact to sit here writing this now. Drinking five days out of seven was not unusual. We all did it. Britains pub culture is what we are famous for and we certainly live up to our reputation.

Recent reports show that there has been an alarming rise in 16-24 year olds drinking, with 50% of males and 42% of females consuming well over the recommended levels. In comparison to the rest of Europe, Britain is head-and-shoulders above everybody else, with Sweden coming in second and Finland in third.

The Government is supposedly taking measures to try and curb its nation of drinkers, introducing measures such as on-the-spot-fines and ASBOs (anti-social behavioural orders) but with the potential changes in Britains licensing laws due to take place in the next few years, which will allow pubs to open 24 hours a day, the future does not look promising.

In an effort to justify to myself exactly how I fell so easily into a binge drinking routine, I feel some of the blame must lie at the doors of marketing companies, pubs, clubs and student unions. Buy two glasses, get the rest of the bottle free, two-for-one on shots, pints and shorts, 50p extra for a double, and the fact that it actually costs more for a pint of blackcurrant and lemonade than it does for a pint of lagerthe list is endless. To the drinks industry, 18-24 year olds are easy money. Advertising campaigns seduce you with a sophisticated image of drinkers, good-looking people, all behaving within the confines of society, enjoying lifes little luxuries. Yet in reality, it couldnt be further from the truth. Aside from incurring memory loss, alcohol consumption is one of the biggest influences toward the increase in violence. Hospitals have noted the concern rise in women brought in after a night out, who have been glassed or beaten up. Thankfully, I have never suffered from any violence on a night out, but Ive seen it happen.

For myself and a large number of my friends, binge drinking has become less common now we have left our student days behind us. Hangovers are harder to get over, and with only two days off a week, who wants to waste them hiding in a dark room until they can focus properly?

I dont know why the British drink so much more than any of our neighbouring countries. It is, however, something we need to look at - and fast - otherwise in 20 years time we are going to have a nation crippled by health problems. We will be incapable of looking after ourselves, let alone our country.

Politics Factzone: The truth about Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il, the leader of the free world, has decided to move on to more fertile grounds, leaving with us just the memories of 8-color rainbows, singing Korean women and couple of nuclear weapons. But who was this man whose next ambition would have been to get the next Nobel Peace prize? Here are just a few facts you should know about. more Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Related to John F. Kennedy's Assassination 26.Aug 2011 Since just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conspiracy theories abou...read ISRAEL KEEPING GHADDAFI AFLOAT 10.Mar 2011 ...read Glen Beck Is NOT the Anti-Christ! 10.Mar 2011 Hurtful and fiery rhetoric is now media’s default setting! This slippery and m...read Recipe for A REVOLUTION! (10 easy steps - try not to get burned!) 28.Feb 2011 Rebellion is cooking in the air. People are mad as hell, and not going to take...read THE ASSANGE CASE. CIA INTERFERED WITH SWEDISH LEGAL PROCESSES EXTREME RIGHT POLITICS A DANGER TO EUROPEAN UNITY THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY. OUT OF TOUCH, OUT OF FOCUS, OUT OF CREDIBILITY AND HOPEFULLY, OUT OF THE DOOR Opinion World governments charged with criminal negligence (in response to Megaupload case) EARTH (thecheers.org) - Federal authorities of the universe have charged the governments of all the countries in the world as well as the operators actually in power in these countries with operating a criminal enterprise, the Galaxy warriors announced Today. more The Great OSCARS 2011 – or so it would seem 5.Mar 2011 So, how exciting......a morning off, the Academy Awards. I wish I could say the...read Top 7 Expensive Bordellos. Prostitution: Shakedown, Tier Down, and Priced Out 31.Jan 2011 According to a report of the Washington DC-based US Department of State, The Ph...read The Great Secret and Reason for the JFK Assassination 11.Oct 2010 The great question is why the great secret? On June 4 1963, President Kennedy s...read Don't Do it! The 3 Worst Times to Get Tattoos 4.Oct 2010 As a general rule, tattoos gotten after 2 am are a bad idea. But in a bigger pi...read

Travel Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN 13.Sep 2010 TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation ...read more TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL. 5.Jun 2010 Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used...read TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES 16.Apr 2010 Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, fro...read TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA. 5.Apr 2010 Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notice...read TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS. 2.Apr 2010 Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices...read Sport No Payoff From the Playoffs $16.50 will Get Anyone in the Hall Mr McGwire Stupid Athlete Tricks Technology Think Big! Think the World's Largest International Trade Show Top 9 cool laptop accessories for laptop geeks Twittering: I'm not that interesting Cheers Jesus' Answering Machine Brown Couch or twelve midgets in the town square How To Be Happy Drugged Out Saturday Nights Muslim Decapitation: Bad, or Simply Misunderstood?