ARE YOUNG PEOPLE BINGE DRINKING MORE?
There are difficulties in defining “binge drinking”. Drinking to get drunk is one interpretation, but some drunkenness is achieved without intent. Some occasions deserve a tipple Twice the daily consumption (eight units for men, six for women) is the most common definition, but does this apply to a day-long or a two-hour session, for a big or small person? Using the quantity definition, binge drinking seems to diminish with age. It accounts for 40% of all drinking occasions by men and 22% by women, according to Alcohol Concern. It would be misleading to say it was on the increase across all ages. Office for National Statistics figures suggest that between 1998 and 2003 it fell among men by 3% and rose among women by 2%. But it is the increase among young people and its visible consequences on the night-time streets that makes the headlines. ARE THE DEFINITIONS CONTROVERSIAL? Plenty of people believe the definitions of binge drinking are misleading. They say that just because they enjoy
