Heavy drinking is to blame for a "staggering" rise in deaths from liver disease in the UK.

Scientists believe that widespread alcohol abuse and poor diets could explain a 100% increase in the number of deaths.

The increase was even more alarming for Asian men - who were found to be four times as likely to die as a result of liver disease.

While the number of cases of fatal liver disease caused by alcohol rose in 2000, Dr Neil Fisher, who conducted the research, says part of the increase is down to heavy drinking by some people, as the amount of alcohol consumed by Britons as a whole did not rise.

Experts have already predicted an explosion in the numbers of people on transplant waiting lists over the next decade.

Are we drinking too much alcohol? How much is too much? What's to blame for Britain's boozy culture?

Alcohol is an insidious drug that causes a creeping addiction to those who use it regularly. Few people have the courage to own up to being an alcoholic, but many of the young drinkers are already addicted. The damage this drug is doing to our society is enormous. It's about time the companies who produce the stuff start taking responsibility for the effect that their products are wreaking on our society. Perhaps then Pubs and clubs would take further measures to stop providing drink to those already inebriated, and the manufacturers of alcopops and super-strength lagers would finally be brought to book for releasing such irresponsible products onto the market.
Paddy, UK

A few weeks ago I was out in Reading on a Friday night and what struck me is that no one really seemed that happy. Identical looking men in their late teens and early twenties were downing huge amounts of lager while their identical looking girlfriends swilled alcopops. Every bar was pumping out so called R'n'B music so loud that conversation was impossible. In every bar was an atmosphere of competition and simmering tension. The actual point of everyone's evening seemed to be to get plastered and to shut out the real world around them. Is reality really that bad in this country? I have never known any other country to drink in the way that we do for the reasons that we do.
Andy, UK

Why tar us all with the same brush as the loud and violent minority who inhabit our city centres at weekends

Bill, UK

I have just got back from three days at the Great British Beer Festival. In all that time I saw no punch-ups, no pools of vomit and the only raised voices were laughing and happy. There is nothing wrong with the idea of a pub culture but the one we have at the moment which is based purely on selling as much alcohol as possible is not the one that I was brought up in. Most Britons, in fact most Europeans drink sensibly. Why tar us all with the same brush as the loud and violent minority who inhabit our city centres at weekends. It's hardly a representative sample of the drinkers of the UK.
Bill, UK

I go out once a week. And 9 times out of 10 I will have one too many. I do not see this as a problem. I am out having a good time with my friends and socialising. And to those who do not see going out and getting drunk is a good way to socialise should try it sometime! My friends and I will have the recommended 5-6 drinks in a week, but in one night and not drink the rest of the week. In my view, there is nothing wrong with this "binge drinking". I'd rather have one good night out a week than 5 quiet ones.
Jen, UK

Drugs of all types are perceived as the answer to stress

Dan, UK

I think a number of factors are to blame here. Primarily the individuals who should ultimately be responsible for their actions. However, it cannot be denied that life in the UK has become drastically more stressful over the last two decades. Look at the amount of money you have to borrow to buy a house now, or how many hours the average person has to work. Drugs of all types are perceived as the answer to stress by certain types of people.
Dan, UK

Abuse of alcohol is part of young male culture. All that detestable cobblers leads to all sorts of crimes. Depressingly, instead of preventing it, society now encourages young women to behave just as badly in a sickening attempt at equality.
Jane, UK

You can ban all alcopops and I'll cheer. You can close all the corporate breweries and every themed pub or off-licence and I'll sigh with relief. They are all aggressive, government sanctioned, drug-pushers. But don't mess with the quietly wonderful ale in the village pub; that would be cultural suicide.
Col, UK Ex-pat

I would welcome a return to the traditional pub culture of beer and communication

Tim Hawkins, England

I find myself drinking more in bars than I used to, because these days the music is so loud in the evenings there's little chance of actually talking to anyone! I would welcome a return to the traditional pub culture of beer and communication, rather than the current one of consuming as much as possible.
Tim Hawkins, England

I see the problem as being part of the overall decline in standards. It was once seen as shocking for somebody to appear drunk in public. Now a lot of people's idea of a Friday or Saturday night is getting drunk. I also think a lot of people in the UK suffer from a lack of confidence, and the buzz from drink makes them feel good about themselves. Perhaps they need to be shown other ways of achieving self-respect.
Mark Jones, UK

The bonding with your mates was crucial

Martina, UK

I used to binge but now I've given up the old amber nectar, I've never felt better - mentally, spiritually, physically and financially. I couldn't commit so much quality time to my children if I drank; I don't get stressed anymore; my output and quality at work has gone up and I do more with my life. I would never say I regret all those nights I over-drank, even the hangovers were an important part of the cycle. The personal bonding with your mates was crucial to a balanced life.
Martina, UK

Some people can drink in moderation. Others inherit a gene that leads to alcoholism. Many in the US and UK point to Europe as the ideal. Drinking at home in moderation, prepares teenagers to drink responsibly. But Europeans often have mild liver damage, not always the cause of death, but on autopsy this is a common finding. Problems of binge drinking and then either driving or fighting are widespread in many cultures. Parents need to act with responsibility with their drinking at home and of course keep the lines of communication open.
Angela, USA/UK/Germany

They are incredibly easy to drink

Joe, England

This is one of the few subjects I am mildly qualified to comment on as I am a barman. The reason for this increase is the massive increase in sales of fashionable bottled drinks that contain over a shot of vodka, schnapps or rum etc. They are incredibly easy to drink due to the large content of lemonade. I can't take much more than six pints of lager or a few shots, but I'm not proud to say that on bottled pop-vodkas I can drink almost 3 times the alcohol content of an evening.
Joe, England

Prior to moving to Australia I spent most of my free time in pubs. The reason for this was boredom due to the lack of sporting facilities where I grew up (and the weather). Since moving to Australia I have found a new level of fitness, and a healthier attitude to alcohol, by enjoying the sporting facilities that are on offer (followed by a few well-earned drinks!!)
Kiran, Oz (ex-UK)

I think Kiran is right. Blame the weather, but the situation is not improved by the working culture of this country or successive governments who don't provide enough sporting/cultural facilities.
Ben, UK

Alcohol should not be banned but the age at which a person should be allowed to drink alcohol in a public place should be raised to 47. This is the age of responsibility when few people have anything worth proving to their peers and hence tend to behave themselves in pubs.
John Brownlee, England

In my whole time living in Amsterdam, only drunk English men have threatened or attacked me. If I see a fight in the centre, I cringe because I know it is two very basic Brits, and I have yet to be proved wrong. Just three nights ago I saw yet more Brits enjoying their holiday in Amsterdam by breaking some poor kid's skull. I called an ambulance and helped all I could, but there is only so much you can do when you are faced with idiots like the British.
Matt, Amsterdam, Netherlands (ex. UK)

To Matt, Amsterdam. I think you should lighten up a bit. It's not only the Brits in Amsterdam who get into fights. I have been threatened by the Dutch in Amsterdam just because I was British and having a quiet drink.
Mark S, Canada (ex UK)

There is more commercialism around alcohol now

C, England

Alcohol is both a pleasure and a pain. While for myself, the five or six glasses of wine a week are pleasure, the five or six "drinks" per day my ex-partner used to drink caused me much pain. There is more commercialism around alcohol now, which promotes going out and getting totally drunk (and let's face it, most of us have done that at some stage in our wild youth!), but as long as we are reminded what excessive drinking can do, then we should surely have half a chance of not killing ourselves?!?
C, England

One of the issues that many of these scientific researches fail to take into account is the matter of longevity, or if they do, they do not mention it. The longer we live, the greater the chance of dying from diseases that claimed fewer lives fifty years ago, when people died before the disease got hold of them. That can be said as much for cancer of the prostate, as it can for liver disease.
Terry Jones, Thailand/UK

For God's sake stop fretting and enjoy life. It's the only one you'll get. How on earth did our forebears survive long enough to beget descendants without all the good advice which is inflicted upon us?
Alan, England

Binge drinking has always happened

John D, UK

Surely liver disease is caused by the cumulative effect of years of excessive drinking, so, if anything, we should be looking at increases in alcohol consumption in the last 40 years rather than complaining about 'recent' binge drinking. Binge drinking has always happened - it's just that now it's being marketed and publicised more than it ever has been.
John D, UK

Drinking is a culture perpetuated by British tradition down the years. Like other British traditions, this will be difficult to change. There is a work hard, drink hard attitude in young people. If you don't drink it is considered unsociable. People even drink during lunch and after work. Changing pub opening hours will not help much, because people just drink more during the shorter opening hours or at home.
Terence, Canada (ex-UK)

I've worked as a doctor in France, and the patients showed a lot more signs of alcohol abuse than the British. As for the doctors and nurses - they always had a few drinks at dinnertime, then went back to work! Enough to get you fired here.
Neil Riley, UK

I look forward to still having a liver in my forties

Rob, England

It's all very well to say we want to keep our own "national identity" and not turn into a nation of coffee shops like our European friends, but why to so many of us have to wreck parts of Europe (Ibiza, Benidorm, Crete etc) to do it? I'm 20 and don't drink, I look forward to still having a liver in my forties.
Rob, England

The problem with the current drinking culture is that it's all about getting bladdered and NOT about just enjoying a nice pint and socialising.
Max, England

I am in favour of our 'pub culture', it will never disappear. I too am one of the growing majority who enjoys the occasional social pint or two. On the other hand, this year I lost my mother (aged 47) due to years of alcohol abuse. She was part of a loving, supportive family, but unfortunately, some people slip dangerously into a vicious addiction, some cannot be helped unless they seek it. Alcohol can be fun but it does not solve problems!!
Gavin, UK

Young people experiment with drink in whatever country you are in

Hannah, UK

As someone who has lived in both France and Italy I do wish people would stop holding up other Europeans as bastions of sobriety. Young people experiment with drink in whatever country you are in. And abroad the majority will then get in a car and drive home.
Hannah, UK

Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are now no-go for me because of the aggressive, moronic attitudes of the thugs that make up town-centre drinking. Our society is becoming more and more egotistical and self-serving.
Simon, UK

It's very easy to get incredibly drunk for a tenner

Louise Saltmarshe, UK

I was amazed to discover how incredibly cheap certain drinks are. A pub around the corner from my office offers two beers or alcopops for �3, so it's very easy to get incredibly drunk for a tenner. They're obviously aiming for the younger, less well-off customer, so a night in a pub like this is obviously a very cheap and appealing one.
Louise Saltmarshe, UK

Many parents bring their children up with no concept of how to drink responsibly either by drinking to excess or never drinking around them. It is interesting that the survey noticed a particular problem for young Asians whose parents are likely to be teetotal. In contrast, on the continent parents drink moderately at family meal times and even allow their children to drink a little, taking away the mystique. Our crazy licensing laws do not help our situation.
Angela, GB

Drinking is embedded in British culture

Dave, Kent, UK

There used to be almost three times as many pubs in the heart of my town when it was largely a Royal Navy drinking point for the local docks. Since then many have gone, along with the brothels and the ladies of the night that used to frequent the area until the First World War. Drinking is embedded in British culture. We can't go out without going to the pub when really we should be trying to socialise without drink.
Dave, Kent, UK

Maybe the plethora of do-gooders trying to control or analyse the amount others drink has driven us all to the bottle.
Craig, England

Drink in moderation - it is possible. Regular heavy drinking and intoxication, even if with friends, seems to me to be a basic sign of insecurity and lack of direction in life. Not only can alcohol abuse cause serious life threatening diseases over time, but the loss of self control, when drunk, can also have unforeseen, severe and tragic consequences.
Andy, England

Drinking, even in excess, is in no way a strictly UK phenomenon. My theory is that if you work hard, why should you not be allowed to play hard? I work upwards of 60 hours per week and wouldn't want anyone, (councils, pubs, whoever), dictating to me how I should spend what little leisure time I have afforded to me.
Jerry, NYC, USA

I don't want to turn into a nation of coffee shops

Matty L, UK

We are a drinking culture and at the end of the day people should do it at their own risk. People should not expect, however, to be entitled to a transplant if it is of their own doing. However, I prefer the culture of going to a pub and enjoying a few pints with my mates and I am willing to accept the risks. I don't want to turn into a nation of coffee shops like our continental friends as it seems people are trying to do. We need to keep our identity.
Matty L, UK

My friends from overseas are constantly amazed at the drink culture here. For some people it isn't enough to enjoy a drink in company, they have to get completely out of it, vomit and start a fight, in fact for some people that seems to be a perfect night out. I don't know how things have got like this. Maybe our licensing laws were too strict for too long and encouraged binge drinking but whatever the reason something should be done otherwise we are going to have a generation of people dying from liver disease.
Anne, UK

Getting wasted has always been part of European culture, but now we've the problem of it being promoted as an essential lifestyle choice by the big drink and leisure companies. They're in the business of persuading people that if you're not out getting drunk, you're missing out. Couple that with Britain's innate desire to achieve inebriation anyway, and we have a dangerous cocktail (and one that isn't called Screaming Orgasm at that).
Paul, UK

I wish the experts and media would make up their minds

Eddie Dubourg, UK

One week alcohol is good, the next week it is the devil incarnate - which is right? I wish the experts and media would make up their minds.
Eddie Dubourg, UK

People associate drinking with social pleasure. "We must go out for a drink sometime" would never be replaced by "Do you fancy going for a run sometime?" It is a social thing that has been in place for hundreds of years. Unfortunately it will probably never change. If scientists could come up with a drug called Dutch Courage that was good for you, then the drinking culture will subside.
Simon Doderer, England

Perhaps the government should raise the legal drinking age to 21, as is the case in many other countries. This may help to cut down on the problem of under age drinking, although it is unlikely to make a big impact. If we can cut down on the number of teenagers who are binge drinking, then we would also see a reduction in crimes such as vandalism and assault, as well as the number of youngsters clogging up A&E departments on a Saturday night!
Lesley, Scotland

To Lesley, Scotland, if you want to see how a society deals with a drinking age of 21, just look at America. The teenagers abuse alcohol like no-one's business. No, we want to be more like France, and have booze as a normal and everyday part of life.
Wendy, UK

Current alcohol consumption levels are distasteful and sad

Thom, UK

The amount of alcohol I saw consumed on a recent city centre night out scared me. Wine and beer were drunk by the litre. The people who binged got into arguments and fights and didn't re-emerge for two days. I love a drink a couple of times a week, but too many people just don't know when to stop. There is no thought for the people who have to serve them, for the danger it brings into society or the effect on their bodies. Current alcohol consumption levels are distasteful and sad.
Thom, UK

We are the pariah of Europe, with our nanny-like drinking laws dating back to the First World War. This encourages unhealthy binge drinking rather than promoting a healthy social mindset to alcohol. It's time for reform!
John, UK

There's always someone else to blame - the pub opening hours, the brewery advertising, the cheap cost. It's never the idiot who pours pint after pint down his neck to beat the last bell, who cannot sit for a few hours and actually taste and savour a good pint. I think it's about time people start to take individual responsibility and stop blaming others for their own stupidity.
Hans, England

We have no one to blame but ourselves

Chris, England

We have no one to blame but ourselves for drinking too much, if indeed we do. People need to take responsibility for their own actions rather than whingeing on about peer pressure and a drinking culture.
Chris, England

I think the UK has a serious problem with drink. I personally rarely drink and I find it amazing the lengths people will go to try to make me drink. An awful lot of people seem to have got it into their heads that they can't have any fun unless they're drunk. Or they can't meet anyone unless they're drunk. None of this is true, and those attitudes need to be challenged.
Simon, UK

Having lived all my life in the UK, I took excess drinking as being the norm. Children getting so drunk at night that adults fear for their safety, not to mention the behaviour of the adults themselves. It wasn't until I went to Greece on holiday that I really despised the way we abuse alcohol. At night you can walk down the streets of suburban Athens and be shocked at the silence. No kids in groups, intoxicating themselves and bringing others down who walk past. No twentysomethings coming home in groups, hardly able to walk. Adults know how to behave there and keep a careful watch on their children.
Steven Holt, UK

I despise the British drinking culture

Al, Germany (ex-UK)

The breweries and the town councils are to blame for our binge drinking culture. Now that I have lived in Continental Europe I despise the British Friday/Saturday youth-orientated drinking culture.
Al, Germany (ex-UK)

A friend of mine has liver problems. He was prescribed drugs for many years. A known side effect of the drugs is liver damage if they are taken for too long. Yet, because he ran a pub, the hospital claim the damage is down to drink. I find this hard to believe as he could make a pint last all evening. I think many people are being diagnosed with drink related liver problems, as a drug related one would open the NHS up to legal actions.
Carol, England

In the 19th century Britain was at the forefront of industry, commerce and Empire. The hard work and long hours involved in maintaining this state of affairs caused many to retreat into gin and opium at the end of the working day. Today what has changed? We may not be at the forefront of anything but our working hours are the longest in Europe - is it any wonder we all escape through drink and other drugs?
Karl, UK

I support our pub culture

Pauleen, England

I don't think anybody is to blame. I support our pub culture; pubs have been part of our towns and country for hundreds of years - and should remain so. I don't think we have a boozy culture either. If experts are number counting perhaps they should take into consideration that there are more of us then there was say 40 years ago. Some people have always drunk too much but it wasn't blamed on society. People have always had their worries and stresses. Some use drink to ease this, and for those who don't know where to stop, it ends disastrously.
Pauleen, England

Our drinking culture was governed for many years by ludicrous opening hours, which encouraged heavy binge drinking during the times that we were actually permitted to buy alcohol. Couple this with the hours we work (the longest in Europe) and the associated stress levels and it really is no surprise that so many people turn to the bottle. If we expected to be a part of Europe then it's high time that the government began taking positive steps to adopting a culture which promotes the benefits of a European lifestyle.
Steve Cahill, England

Send us your comments: Name: Your E-mail Address: Country: Comments:

Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.