Binge Drinking: Know Your Limit

We all like to spend our hard earned cash on enjoying the occasion tipple, but at what cost? Nearly one in four adults in Britain is classified as a ‘binge drinker’, which is not surprising as the UK is one of Europe’s heaviest consumers of alcohol.

Binge or Cringe?

When under the influence of alcohol we find ourselves doing many things that we would never do, including drinking more than we should - leading to more embarrassing things later on in the night.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has reported 'more than 3500 young people were successfully targeted by the summer crackdown on teenage binge drinking. Crack downs like this are hoping to encourage people to stop binge drinking in order to limit the risks taken by people who are intoxicated. With worries that the number of drink drivers is increasing (in 2008 the number of fatalities was 430 compared with 410 in 2007) more people are having one too many then getting behind the wheel.

Nightclubs and bars have been branded liable for many people in the UK drinking beyond the limit they should, by offering all-you-can-drink deals for a fixed price and even just 2 for 1 offers is enough to make people consume at least twice as much as they should.

Even though drinkers are aware of the dangers of over-indulging they still consume over a third of the recommended daily allowance at least once a week despite being aware of the dangers.

More than 5,000 girls under the age of 16 needed hospital treatment in 2008 alone after bingeing on alcohol. In 2007-08, just over 13,000 young women between 17 and 21 were admitted to hospital for problems caused by alcohol, up almost 50% from 2003-04.

The dramatic increase highlights the problems of the growing ladette culture among young women, which is seeing women being diagnosed with liver disease at a much younger age.

Binge Drinking Britain:

Surveys have revealed that middle-aged Britons are more likely to exceed recommended daily levels than the working classes – and it’s not just drinking out on the town, a lot of people drink in their own homes too.

A couple of drinks after a stressful day at work may seem like a good idea but this can be seen as setting a bad example and portraying a bad influence to younger people. A third of youngsters questioned by researchers said they believed five or more glasses of wine in one night was a normal thing for adults to do.

The number of drinks women should consume compared to men differs quite a lot but many women in the UK feel they have to try and keep up with the amount that men drink, resulting in larger numbers of women binge drinkers. Films also portray people drinking in large quantities, which are another reason the numbers are increasing – especially amongst young people as they are much more easily influenced.

- K.J.N -