IT is shocking to hear from Intensive Care Unit consultant Tony Pickworth of how alcohol is robbing young women of their lives.

Smoking, obesity and the scourge of drugs are the subjects of high profile campaigns, but drinking only seems to get the Government's advertising gurus going around Christmas time during the drink drive crackdowns.

But consuming legal alcohol is a killer when taken to excess and even lesser doses of social drinking can snatch away career prospects and damage relationships with your nearest and dearest if it gets out of hand and becomes an addiction.

Being caught drunk behind the wheel, which always leads to a driving ban, can also curtail travel to work or taking the children to school.

Drinking to excess affects the whole family and in these very severe and tragic cases can lead to death.

Young men, too, are at risk from bingeing on lads' nights out and should avoid drinking contests. Massive drinking can also lead to anti-social behaviour, as we have reported recently in Highworth, which affects the whole community's quality of life.

Think before you drink is a good catchphrase indeed.