It was announced earlier this year that Lincoln is the second worst place in the whole of the East Midlands for binge-drinking. Consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short space of time, termed “binge-drinking”, is a huge concern in England.
Many of the city’s men are unaware of the damage they’re doing to their bodies, claims a charity tackling alcohol problems.
Some men are apparently naive to the dangers and long-term effects that heavy drinking can have: “Only a third (36%) are aware of the link between alcohol and some forms of cancer (including breast, bowel, kidney, mouth and oesophageal cancers).
“While awareness among women rose from 35% to 42% last year, the figure for men remained unchanged,” according to UK charity Drinkaware.
There are many effects of binge-drinking, not simply the obvious liver damage. Long-term drinking can not only give you a beer belly, but can also have damaging effects on the drinker’s appearance, as well as their sex life: “Eighty per cent of men who drink heavily are believed to experience serious sexual side effects, including impotence, sterility, or loss of sexual desire,” Drinkaware say.
Despite these health problems, young men still continue to drink heavily.
Henry Rush, a student at the University of Lincoln, says that since coming to university, his drinking habits, and the reasons why he drinks, have changed: “I drink more during the week, instead of just at weekends and I drink because it’s cheap and the lifestyle is great.”
The twenty-one-year-old says that he doesn’t think you can enjoy a night out without drinking.
“If I don’t drink when I’m out with friends, then there is no point in going out at all. I know my limits, but I don’t care about them, I drink to have fun, not to limit myself,” he admits.
Guidelines set by the government state that men shouldn’t regularly consume more than three to four units of alcohol a day. However this advice isn’t being followed.
According to Drinkaware, a quarter of British men consume “more than eight units on at least one day in the week”.
Although he is aware of the effects of drinking, Rush says that it doesn’t bother him: “I’ve seen lots of television programmes about the effects of drinking, but it doesn’t really affect your body in the short term, so it’s not something I worry about too much.
“However, I think I will cut down on my drinking when I finish university, as there won’t be as much emphasis on getting drunk. I will be more focused on getting a job and settling down,” he says.