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As deaths from cirrhosis of the liver soar in Britain, know your limits by filling in an interactive drink diary
Click here or on the the link at the bottom of the page to find out how much you really drink
Britons are drinking themselves to death at a faster rate than people anywhere else in western Europe.
New research published in The Lancet medical journal shows that deaths from cirrhosis of the liver have soared in the
The figures were compared with those for 12 other European countries - Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Denmark.
Although some still had high rates, these countries had experienced a 20% to 30% decline since the early 1970s.
Total recorded alcohol consumption doubled in the UK between 1960 and 2002, the researchers point out.
In contrast alcohol has become less popular in the mainly wine-drinking countries of southern Europe, driving the overall reduction in cirrhosis deaths on the continent.
What is cirrhosis?
Cirrhosis occurs when normal tissue becomes replaced by fibrous material similar to scar tissue. It can be triggered by viral infections such as hepatitis B or C, the chief culprit in developed countries is alcohol poisoning. Click on the British Liver Trust link below to find out more.
The news comes after the Government's largest ever crackdown on drunken yobs in December 2005 ahead of the introduction of controversial licensing laws allowing 24-hour drinking.
Government under fire
Professor Robin Room, from the University of Stockholm says: "While beverage type and pattern of drinking might both affect the risk of developing cirrhosis, there is no doubt that the cumulative amount of alcohol consumed has a primary role.
"But the UK Government has turned a determined blind eye to the problem and has failed to make the reduction of the population's alcohol intake a policy goal.
"Through the new alcohol licensing law and the official guidance on it, the national government has also done its best to tie the hand of local government on this issue.''
Binge drinking epidemic
Binge drinking is becoming an all-too-common phenomenon. In summer 2005 GMTV surveyed UK adults asking what their drinking habits were. The results were shocking.
Out of the 1,600 people questioned over 61% of women and 65% of men admit to binge drinking, and over a quarter of women and men admit to having a drink with the intention of getting drunk.
Rethinking your drinking
Most people know what the weekly alcohol limits are for men and women - men should drink no more than 21 units and women no more than 14. But what is less common knowledge is that you can be a binge drinker on relatively low levels.
Men for instance should drink no more than 3-4 units a day, and women 2-3. Yet our survey has found that 50% of women drink in concentrated periods, usually over the weekend, and well over half of those regularly consume more than 10 units of alcohol in a single session.
Give me strength
For most drinkers, many alcoholic drinks are still thought of in the same broad categories. But research has shown that the same drink may differ widely between brands. A pint of Stella Artois, for example, delivers a whopping 3 alcoholic units, whereas a pint of weaker strength lager like Carlsberg is only 2 units.
So for a woman to drink 2 pints of strong lager in a day would mean she is classified as a binge drinker.
The cost of binging
At peak times up to 70% of all admissions to accident and emergency units are related to alcohol consumption. The total cost of alcohol misuse to the health service is estimated to be in the region of £1.7 billion a year.
That's not all. The overall annual cost of crime and anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol misuse is a staggering £7.3 billion, and the overall annual cost of productivity lost as a result of alcohol misuse is monumental £6.4 billion.
Find out what your limits are and learn how to drink safely by browsing the articles below
