Suffering the consequences

Drinking too much increases the risk of experiencing any of the following. While some are things you can have a laugh about, some are far more serious.

Making bad decisions

How many times have you fallen out with friends and had to make it home alone after drinking too much?

Whether you're male or female, you're putting yourself at risk of being attacked or robbed.

Your judgement will be impaired and you may get into an unlicensed taxi. These people rely on you being drunk and not realising what could happen. At best you could be ripped off, or you could be robbed or sexually assaulted.

Or what about pulling someone you wouldn't normally and making an idiot of yourself - if you're lucky, all you'll suffer is the shame!

Potentially, you could end up in bed with someone you wouldn't be with if you were sober. If you're drunk, you are much less likely to use a condom - increasing your chance of contracting an STI or getting pregnant.

In worst-case scenarios, you may end up being too drunk to refuse sex and be taken advantage of, or too drunk to be sure the other person has consented to sex. You could be raped or face accusations of rape. Sexual partners must be 100 per cent certain that the other person is giving consent. No consent = No sex.

Here are some sobering statistics

• One in seven 16-24 year olds have unprotected sex after drinking
• One in ten 16-24 year olds can't remember if they had sex the night before after a night out
• Under 25s who don't use a condom have a one in four risk of catching an STI (source: rusafe.co.uk )
• STIs are more prevalent than ever in England - there's been a 140% rise in people with chlamydia in the last six years and between 1998 and 2000 syphilis in males increased by 150%. You're also at risk of catching herpes, gonorrhoea or genital warts - If untreated, chlamydia can leave men and women infertile. Syphilis, if untreated, can lead to blindness, mental disorders or even death.
• Most men will be familiar with the term "brewer's droop" – a temporary form of alcohol impotence. However, clinical studies have shown that prolonged alcohol misuse causes irreversible damage to the nerves in the penis

Drinking too much can often lead to fights and accidents, so instead of ending up in a club you could end up behind bars, or in A&E. Just take a look at these annual figures:

• 22,000 deaths a year are caused by alcohol misuse
• 1.2 million alcohol related violent incidents
• 360,000 incidents of domestic violence are linked to alcohol misuse
• Up to 70% of all A&E admissions are alcohol related
• 65% of suicide attempts are alcohol related
• Up to 17 million working days are lost through alcohol related absence