Brits Binge Drink Once Every 13 Days

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Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 01 Jun 2006 - 11:00 PDT


British adults are binge drinking once every 13 days, four times as often as Italian adults do, says a report by the Institute of Alcohol Studies. Not only do adult Brits like to guzzle booze down fast, but so do many adolescents.

Apparently, one in every four people in Britain enjoy drinking with one single aim - to get completely drunk. Binge drinking is no longer a male domain either, adolescent girls and young women are just as likely to go out and get 'plastered' as males.

(Plastered = A British term for getting completely drunk)

The Institute of Alcohol Studies says raising the tax on alcohol could save 9,000 deaths a year in the European Union. The Institute said anything short of raising tax, such as public education and voluntary partnerships, will make hardly any difference.

The Institute says alcohol is Europe's third biggest public health threat - after smoking and hypertension, ahead of overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and illegal drugs.

Here are some facts reported by the Institute of Alcohol Studies

-- Between 5,000,000 - 9,000,000 children live in alcohol-damaged families in the European Union

-- 10,000 pedestrians or passengers die as a result of drink drivers in the European Union

-- British people's annual alcohol consumption, 13 litres pure alcohol, is below the EU average of 15 litres. However, a huge number of Brits drink less often, but when they do - they drink loads.

-- 24% of Brits drink simply to get completely drunk

-- 59% of 18-24 year-old Brits drink simply to get completely drunk

-- 43% of 25-34 year-old Brits drink simply to get completely drunk

-- 27% of Brits have had such bad hangovers that they found it very hard do their jobs properly

-- 80% of 18-34 year old Brits have had such bad hangovers that they found it very hard do their jobs properly

Most experts agree that the biggest impact on binge drinking would be altering tax and availability.

Click Here To See The Whole Report, called "Alcohol in Europe"

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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