Your Night, Your Choice

Binge drinking means different things to different people. For some, binge drinking is the main objective of a good night out, for others it is a nuisance and is widely recognised as a major problem among young people in the UK.

Norfolk Constabulary has produced a DVD Binge Drinking: Your Night, Your Choice to raise awareness of the pressures and concerns young people face over alcohol.

What are the dangers of drinking too much alcohol?

The immediate ill effects may be no more than a hangover in the morning, but there is the potential for longer lasting effects like brain damage, cancer of the mouth or throat, heart disorders or impotence. A large price to pay for the small price of a drink!

Alcohol can ruin an evening, just as quickly as you feel it can make one. For 5,000 people each year, their evening will end with them being admitted to hospital. Maybe more shocking is more than 33,000 people in the UK die each year from alcohol related causes.

Others end with a visit from the police who are called to deal with incidents of anti-social behaviour, crime and violence – all a result of too much alcohol.

And sadly for some, unprotected sex and teenage pregnancy bring about unwanted heartache – further consequences of drinking too much alcohol.

Alcohol can play a part in the direction your night will take. Don’t feel under pressure to drink alcohol, especially to extremes. The advice is if you are going to drink, then drink sensibly and avoid becoming a statistic. Remember, it is Your Night, Your Choice.

 

Did you know?

It is against the law to buy alcohol if you are under 18 and if the police see you drinking alcohol in a public place, they have the power to confiscate the drink from you!

Find out more about alcohol and how it affects you in the 'You and the law' section.