As Winehouse and co advertise the perils of drugs you could be forgiven for thinking that there are far worse things to be doing on a Saturday night than having one too many vodka and cokes. But as ‘Binge Britain’ continues to grow, the finger is being firmly pointed at young women to cut back or suffer the consequences.

The Government's latest attempt to curb this ‘epidemic’ of binge drinking is to call time on the promotion of booze-fuelled Freshers’ weeks up and down the country. But, it seems somewhat naïve to believe that our excessive drinking starts and ends at university. Admittedly alcohol is an ever present force during the uni experience but for most of us, drinking starts in our mid-teens and graduating certainly doesn’t end our affair with alcohol.

It also to fails to ask why we enjoy drinking ourselves into oblivion like never before and why it is girls who are steadily gaining on - and sometimes overtaking - their male counterparts when it comes to units consumed.

Ultimately, a night on the juice totals a hangover from hell and a dent in your bank balance. So, why do we do it? Perhaps it's the vague memories of last night’s antics or the inevitable shameful Facebook photos that make it all worthwhile. Or maybe it’s something far more complicated. As more and more young women rival men in the drinking stakes, the appeal of alcohol begins to look like a deeper rooted issue.

In a culture ever more obsessed with image, the ‘Dutch courage’ of a few drinks makes that first date or awkward reunion seem a little less awful. It can equally provide a necessary confidence boost or wave of relaxation - quite literally - on tap.

The obvious question is why should this should be necessary, but young women’s anxieties about an increasingly judgemental society are unlikely to be eased by government legislation on alco-pop prices. Notably the ‘living for the weekend’ ethos of young graduates and professionals also seems to heavily feature alcohol as a way to perhaps bridge the gap between student and adulthood.

The media has persisted in showing the worst side of our relationship with alcohol, nurturing the image of the lairy ladette passed out in the street. But it's not like this character doesn't exist. In fact she can be frequently spotted on nights out being propped up by her unfortunate friends. But bingeing on booze is far from just a pastime of the young and carefree. Last month a £10 million anti-drinking campaigns was launched which targeted middle-aged professional women who are seen to turn to drink behind closed doors to cope with the pressures of modern living - an activity all the more dangerous because it is carried out in secret.

History has a role to play. Outdated notions of etiquette and the 'correct' way for women to behave still penetrate society today. Even in the 21st century images of out-of-control women falling out of nightclubs still have the power to shock. And - much like the past - this behaviour is judged much more harshly in women than in men.

What is perhaps different is that young women are now less concerned about what perhaps only a few years ago was deemed inappropriate. Gender boundaries are fluctuating and perhaps the restraint of past generations could even be acting as an incentive for today’s young female to break with convention.

Unfortunately for the fairer sex, science is against us when it comes to coping with alcohol. Research from the Bronx VA Medical Centre in New York has shown that women need three times less alcohol than men to produce cirrhosis of the liver. The combination of our size, enzymes and extra fatty tissue seemingly adds up to a less efficient system for breaking down the booze.

Apart from the inevitable long-term health issues related to binge drinking, perhaps the most frightening aspect of young women and drinking is what they get up to while under the influence. Sex, alcohol and consent make uncomfortable bedfellows and produce statistics which make equally uncomfortable reading.

A survey conducted by the Portman Group in 2005 found that over a third of women surveyed had been sexually assaulted whilst drunk. Almost the same number of women asked had also had unprotected sex after drinking. The latest medical research shows that this number has now almost doubled and unwanted pregnancies and STI’s are a more frequent consequence.

It’s hard to point the finger at where our obsession with alcohol began. With the government firmly taking the issue of smoking in hand, many see that drinking will be the next to step on an agenda. Initiatives to increase prices and cut down on the advertising of alcohol have the potential to tackle the statistics, but whether they will coax us out of our love affair with drink is another question.

For many of us a few drinks are as much a part of the weekend as a Sunday morning fry-up. And for most of us it is a relationship which fulfils a role without interrupting life. Although young women are far from innocent when it comes to binge drinking, it is a culture which has penetrated all groups of society.

Perhaps the only inevitability is that alcohol is here to stay. Only time will tell if a three year bender at uni and beyond will have an irreversible effect on the next generation of adults. And with the onus on the individual to decide, for some of us it could be a very rocky road ahead.

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