Britain Is Binge Drinking Like Crazy

Well this is sort of bleak news for a Monday: Apparently, binge drinking has gotten so bad in Britain, there are designated clinics specifically for those who had one too many, to keep them off the streets and out of emergency rooms.

The Associated Press reports that while overall alcohol consumption levels have decreased in Britain since the mid-2000s, binge-drinking is pervading the bar culture, and liver disease has increased 25 percent in the last decade.

Furthermore, the National Health service reportedly spends $4.4 billion a year on binge-drinking related costs, including hospital admissions for alcohol-induced violence and other health problems.

Ambulences have since been dubbed "booze buses," as they bring the wasted to clinics to sober up, a government service meant to keep drunk people out of emergency rooms and out of trouble. Naturally, to curb binge drinking the government is discussing a minimum alcohol price per unit, à la Scotland's recent price increase.