Teenagers in Britain get drunk more often than any others in the western world, researchers say. Wales topped the list for the number of children who have been drunk the most times by the age of 13. One in four Welsh youngsters said they had been drunk at least twice. Scotland was in second place and England came fourth.

What is binge drinking?

People drink for all sorts of reasons, mostly because in moderation alcohol helps you relax and feel more sociable. Binge drinking, however is either ‘drinking enough alcohol at one occasion/time/session so that you actually get drunk/intoxicated’

People under the age of 18 would probably reach this state after 3 to 4 units because for adults what makes you a binge drinker ‘having eight or more units if you are a adult man, or six or more units if you are an adult woman on at least one day in the week’.

How do I know how many units I'm drinking?

Here are some rough examples of how many units are in typical drinks: One unit = half a pint of ordinary beer = a small glass of wine = 2/3 of a bottle of alcopops = 1 pub measure of spirits.

The number of units can also vary according to the brand of drink and whether you're male or female.

Give me the stats

Are you sure? They don't exactly paint a pretty picture. According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, young people in the UK are the fourth worst binge drinkers in the EU. Even more worrying the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that over 50% of 15 to 16 year-olds have participated in binge drinking.

Think Point!

• What do these statistics reflect?
• Are you shocked that Britain has more drunk teenagers than anywhere else in the western world?
• Why do you think that is the case?