Why drink so much?

Ok, so binge drining in Britain is quite a problem, but why is it? Why do we as Britons feel the need to drink to excess so much? Even now, Britain is still the number one country in Europe for Binge drinking, even through the recession are still drinking more than every other European country, why?

"in England in 2005, 73 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women reported drinking an alcoholic drink on at least one day in the week prior to interview. Thirteen per cent of men and 8 per cent of women reported drinking on every day in the previous week" - NHS site

So, 75% once a week, and 13% everyday. Thats high, why do we have to drink every day? Is it a social thing? is it because we go out and we can't simply g out and not get drunk, do we instantly have to have an alcoholic drink the minute we walk through a door with a license?

I think it's because when people go out, especially the younger people, we go out specifically to get drunk - maybe not as often as the older generation, we may only go out once or twice a week but you can guaranteee that we will drink to excess, to the point where we can't actually drink anymore and are phycially removed from the premises sometimes.

But... WHY?!

Why do we feel the need to go out and get hammered, why do we go out and feel the need to cause trouble? I've seen people get in some absolutely terrible states, but why get that bad? Why not stop a drink before?

Now, the statistics also show that the older generation drink more frequently than the younger generation, but not to as bad a state - so, the older men might go the pub every single day, but they might only have one or two pints, where as the younger will go out once or twice a week and drink anything up to three times there weekly recommended allowance of units in one night.

"older people were more likely to drink regularly 28 per cent of men and 18 per cent of women aged 45-64 drank on five or more days in the week prior to interview compared to 10 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women aged 16-24. Younger people were more likely to drink heavily, with 42 per cent of men and 36 per cent of women aged 16-24 drinking above the daily recommendations, compared to 16 per cent of men and 4 per cent of women aged 65 and over" - NHS site

Is it because of the promotional activites of certain night clubs? - Having one night a week where it's cheap entry for stuents followed by free drinks all night? Is it because the younger people are full of pride and wanna see how much they can do and not be the first one to appear to fade? Is it a mix of all these things.

I think most likely ll the things mixed together is what is going to affect the younger culture the most, image, nights given, price drops for certain nights, things like that. The clubs may be making a bomb - but our livers are going. Why don't we care about the medical connotations of alcohol? Why don't we care about needing a new liver when we grow old, because it will happen, the same as taking cocaine will rot your nose and smoking will cause lung cancer, why is it we simply ignore the fact with alcohol?

Oooooh, the reason we don't hear about the medical connotations of alcohol so much would most likely be because of the amount of money the government make off of it with income tax and so on. Or am i WAY off?