The excessive fondness of the British, especially young British, for 'binge' drinking, has excited the UK media for some years now. No Christmas can pass without stories splashed of city centre mayhem, images of drunken girls tottering on six inch heels, wearing little apart from a pair of bunny ears, and vomiting into her handbag.
Most media coverage tends to condemn this behaviour in a tone of moral outrage, blaming the demon drink on all manner of social, health and psychological harms. As well it might.
Unusually, there is an upcoming media piece on the pleasures of intoxication, details here
I'll be talking about my research into young people and alcohol on Laurie Taylor's BBC Radio 4 show Thinking Allowed. With fellow studio guests Fiona Measham and Jim Mills, Laurie takes us on a trip (pun intended) through various forms of intoxication past and present. If you're feeling a little queasy by 4PM on Boxing Day, this will be the ideal listening experience.
A few more details on the content can be found here
