Epidemic of drunk teenagers in hospitalBy Nicole Martin
Britain is in the grip of a binge drinking epidemic, according to two official studies yesterday that showed alcohol-related hospital admissions have doubled in a decade while a third of teenagers regularly drink to excess.
The number of drunk teenagers admitted to hospital in England increased by more than a third in the past 10 years, from 3,870 in 1995/96 to 5,280 in 2005/06.
In the same period, the number of adults admitted to hospital after drinking excessively more than doubled -from 89,280 to 187,640.
The statistics, from the Information Centre for Health and Social Care, which collates data for the Department of Health, also showed that alcohol consumption among children aged between 11 and 13 has reached a record high.
They drank an average of 10.1 units - or about five pints of lager - a week last year.
A separate study disclosed that almost a third of teenagers are binge drinkers.
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