British revellers drink more alcohol than anyone else in Europe, a survey reveals.

一项调查表明，英国人比欧洲其它国家的人都能喝酒。

Binge culture: Britons drink the largest quantity of booze at a single session, the poll revealed.

The disturbing（烦扰的，令人不安的） findings expose the massive failure of the introduction of 24-hour drinking five years ago.

Ministers predicted new relaxed licensing¹ laws would create a European-style 'cafe culture'. Instead, they turned town centres into no-go areas on Friday and Saturday nights.

The study by pollsters（民意测验专家） Eurobarometer found that while Britons are not Europe's most frequent drinkers, once we are on a drinking session, we guzzle²（狂饮，暴食） more alcohol than anyone else.

Some 12 per cent of Britons admitted to downing more than seven drinks in a session. For the purposes of the survey, one drink was defined as a single glass of wine, beer or spirits（烈酒） .

Britain's binge-drinking put it ahead of the likes of Ireland, Finland and Germany, which have all scored highly in previous alcohol studies, while in Bulgaria, Greece and Austria, not one person admitted drinking more than seven drinks in a single session.

Only 20 per cent of Britons said they had consumed no alcohol in the past 12 months, compared to double that figure in Portugal, Italy and Hungary.

A Eurobarometer spokesman added: 'Europe is the region with the highest per capita（每人，人均） alcohol consumption in the world, and Britain tops the league for the largest volumes drunk in single sessions.'

Home Office figures show crime and disorder³ caused by binge drinking（酗酒，豪饮） costs the taxpayer⁴ between £8billion and £13billion a year.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell announced this month that pub owners who offered 'all you can drink' promotions⁵ could be jailed under laws designed to curb⁶ binge drinking.

From July, pubs and bars will be forced to offer smaller drinking measures so customers can choose to drink less.

And they will have to ask anyone who looks younger than 18 for identification before selling them alcohol.

Half of Britons said they drank 'three or four times' a week, compared with 60 per cent of Italians, who said they drank up to two glasses every day of the week.

The European average is between one and three times a week.