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| Britain's binge drinkers are mapped out |
TODAY we reveal the true scale of the UK’s binge-drinking epidemic — and young Geordies and Brummies come out best.
Our map of shame charts the percentage of 18 to 24-year-olds who admit they drink more than a worrying ELEVEN units of alcohol on an average night out with friends.
Based on Department of Health research, it shows the heaviest drinkers are in Northern Ireland (29 per cent), Yorkshire & Humberside (26 per cent), Scotland (24 per cent), Eastern England (24 per cent), South East (24 per cent) and East Midlands (23 per cent).
Wales also has a hard core of heavy boozers at 25 per cent, although overall youngsters there down less than the rest of the UK — with 15 per cent saying they do not drink at all.
Though bingeing remains a serious problem in every area, the tally of heavy boozing on a night out is lower than average in the West Midlands which includes Birmingham (16 per cent), North-East (19 per cent), North West (20 per cent) and South West (21 per cent ).
Young Geordies are also recorded as England’s most peaceful drinkers. Only 3 per cent admit having been in a fight when drunk, compared to 16 per cent of those from Northern Ireland.
Overall, the statistics show that:
Almost ONE IN FOUR (23 per cent) of youngsters have felt ashamed of their appearance when drunk.
A QUARTER have not known how they got home; nearly ONE THIRD (31 per cent) have blacked out;
ONE IN TEN (9 per cent) have been in a fight; and almost HALF (48 per cent) have vomited after drinking too much.
The national average of youngsters who admit having a one-night stand after boozing is 17 per cent. However this leaps to one in four in Scotland, which is also worst for throwing up after a binge (55 per cent).
Of those who have woken up not knowing how they got home, young people in Northern Ireland are the worst. One in three (33 per cent) admit having blackouts in the last 12 months.
The government has now launched a £100million Drinkaware campaign to combat the binge crisis, spreading the message, “Why let good times go bad.”
The campaign’s chief exec Chris Sorek said: “When people are drinking and having fun it can be easy to get carried away. Some young adults mistakenly think they know all there is to know about alcohol.
“But simple tips like eating before going out drinking, pacing yourself with soft drinks, looking after your mates and planning your journey home can help prevent those good times going bad.”
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