Young drinkers 'copy their pals'

Binge drinking is on the increase due to young people copying their friends, new research has shown. According to experts at Durham University, the "fashion phenomenon" that sees large amounts of alcohol drunk at one time can lead to antisocial behaviour and criminal damage.

It is estimated that 1.5million people binge each week. The researchers interviewed 504 people, aged 18 to 24, to draw their conclusions.

The latest research has been carried out by Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study and Volterra Consulting UK.

Binge drinkers are defined as women who get drunk on three or more drinks in one go, or men who have four or more drinks in one go, at least once a week.

Using those standards, they found almost one-fifth, or 16.2per cent, of young people surveyed were classed as binge drinkers.

New statistics revealed this week by the Department of Health and Association of Public Health Observatories show that between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of people over 16 and living in Sunderland who binge-drink stood at 26.8 per cent, while in Easington, that stood at 25.8 per cent.

That makes them among the highest in the country, with the national average 18 per cent.

Everyone in the university's survey was asked about the drinking behaviour of their friends, family and colleagues.

Binge drinkers were more likely to describe their associates, particularly their friends, as fellow binge drinkers.

Their answers showed 85 per cent of the bingers thought that all, or most, of their friends were binge drinkers.

The second part of the research tested whether "imitation behaviour" – or copying – could account for the binge drinking, with interaction between overlapping friendship groups the reason for part of the findings.

Researchers say this suggests complex social networking and the behaviour shown through this is the root cause of binge drinking.

They believe the findings pose challenges in identifying how the policies should be targeted, as they would need to tap into that aspect of lifestyles to have any effect.

Lead author Paul Ormerod said: "Binge drinking has become widespread among young people in Britain.

"Vomiting, collapsing in the street, shouting and chanting loudly, intimidating passers-by and fighting are now regular night-time features of many British towns and cities.

"A particularly disturbing aspect is the huge rise in drunken and antisocial behaviour among young females.

"We show that the rise in binge drinking is a fashion-related phenomenon, with imitative behaviour spreading across social networks, and is sufficient to account for observed patterns of binge-drinking behaviour."

Sunderland Echo