Girls just want to have fun

CHARLIE McMahon and Katie Burtenshaw are young, free and enjoy Swindon's nightlife.

The attractive teenagers do not look like your typical lager louts.

But the friends pride themselves on being able to drink as much as their male friends if not more.

Charlie, 19, who works for an estate agent, says she and her friend drink between 10 and 15 alcopops in a night coupled with shots of sprits.

She said: "I go out two or three nights a week.

"Once you are old enough to drink, you might as well enjoy it. I might not be able to carry on at this rate when I get older and that's when I'll stop.

"I don't worry about the future. I take each day as it comes.

"I go out with groups of friends and we always know what we are doing. We are never out of control and start fights. We know when we have had enough."

Self employed Katie, 19, said: "I don't think I drink that much. I go out a couple of nights a week and let my hair down. That's not too bad.

"I sometimes can't remember everything that's happened the night before but I'm so drunk that I end up falling over or I'm sick."

SISTERS Lorna Owen and Kristy Sturgeon were out to have a great hen night to celebrate Lorna's impending nuptials.

They admitted they could end up drinking more than usual because of the special occasion.

And although they enjoy a tipple, they insist they do not binge drink.

Bride-to-be Lorna, 32, said: "It is more acceptable for women to drink more.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. We work hard and we can do what we want in our spare time."

Kristy, 24, agreed and said she was not overly worried about damaging her health through alcohol.

"I don't drink from Monday to Thursday. When I do go out, I'd probably drink four or five pints.

"I think binge drinking is more of a problem with younger women girls aged between 18 and 21. We don't ever get so drunk that we are staggering around out of control."

The health perspective

THE number of young women drinking excessively on a regular basis has more than doubled in the past 10 years.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show women drinking to excess rose from one in 10 in 1988-89 to one in six in 2002-03.

The increase is most marked among woman aged between 16 and 24, where the proportion drinking more than the recommenced 14 units a week has risen from one in six to one in two.

The recommended amount per day is three units. A unit is equivalent to a small glass of wine or half a pint of beer.

The Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust says the drinking habits of young women in Swindon reflect the national picture.

Jane Leaman, director of public health, said: "The rise of binge drinking is of concern. In recognition of the health consequences the Primary Care Trust in partnership with Swindon Borough Council provide a drugs and alcohol programme providing information, advise and support run through schools and in community settings.

"The Primary Care Trust also support drop in sessions in schools run by school nurses to provide general health advise and support."

She says the main health effect of binge drinking is linked to personal safety issues.

Women like men are more likely to be involved in anti-social behaviour, unsafe sex and have accidents whilst binge drinking.

As a consequence of binge drinking they are also likely to be absent from work or school.

The police perspective

BINGE drinking among women has recently been blamed for rises in anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related crime.

But Geoff Hicks, Swindon Police's licensing officer, said women in Swindon tend to be relatively well behaved compared to the men.

He said: "Men are still the main instigators of alcohol related anti-social behaviour.

"Over the years there has been a small rise in incidents involving women only a small rise compared to men who have gone off the scale.

"Men inherently want to go out and down great amounts of alcohol while women tend to cut off at a certain point.

"But we do have incidents where women go over the limit and are drunk and incapable. There are the odd occasions where they shout and scream abuse and are taken off to Westlea Police Station.

"These incidents are very rare. Women are generally quite sensible in their drinking habits.

"When I joined the police service in 1967, it was very rare to see woman getting into trouble for anything.

"There is also a rise in big groups of females going out together.

"Alcohol affects people differently depending on when the person last ate, their weight and their mood.

"Women usually get more drunk then men on the same amount of alcohol. It is something to do with the different biological make up."

Bhavani Vadde