The United Kingdom has long had a love affair with alcohol.
Here in America, we revere Guinness beer (which was originally brewed in Ireland-not technically a part of the UK) and scotch, a liquor Scotland is famous for producing in high quality and quantity.
The UK itself seems to love to drink, and far to often, to drink to excess.
Studies have shown that the various countries of the United Kingdom (which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), lead Europe and even the world in several categories of alcohol use.
Binge Drinking Professor David Nutt, author of Drugs Without the Hot Air, pointed out that a culture of binge drinking exists in the UK, and this is far worse than just drinking by itself.
Binge drinking is when a person drinks four or more drinks in one sitting or drinks with the specific intention to get drunk.
"Bingeing is worse, because it's the peak alcohol that maximizes toxicity," says Nutt.
"And the binge tradition is something that Britain has pioneered.
" Youth throughout the islands of the UK are involved in a culture that promotes and encourages binge drinking as the way to drink in social settings.
This is incredibly dangerous, as binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning-the point at which the level of alcohol in a person's blood actually becomes a level of poisoning that can cause respiratory failure and potentially death.
Drinking Stats In Britain today, the statistics show that the rates of alcohol-caused liver disease quadrupled since the early 1970's, while deaths from other diseases are steadily declining.
Men under 60 are now more likely to die from drinking alcohol than from any other cause.
Up to three people die every week not just from liver disease, but from acute alcohol poisoning every week.
This are preventable deaths.
There is no good reason that these people have to be dying.
What's the Reason Behind The British Drug Problem Experts have theories as to why so many people drink in England.
The author of Drugs 2.
0, Mike Power, theorizes, "I think that there's a certain rigidity in the British and their class system and there can be a kind of escape from that through bingeing.
" He goes on to say, "There is something we're trying to escape.
I think it's just the pain of being British.
" There is also a social encouragement to drink in groups in Britain.
Just drinking one beer by yourself could apparently make you look like a loser, but drinking round after round with friends is encouraged.
Other Drugs In The UK It's not just alcohol that is cutting a wide swatch through the UK.
Britain is now ranked in the top ten consumers of several other types of drugs in Europe, such as ecstasy and cocaine.
Another category of drugs making huge gains are the so-called "legal highs.
" Designer drugs such as "K2" or "spice" are created in laboratories to have very similar effects to that of marijuana or other drugs.
Because the chemical formulae of these drugs are always new and constantly changing, they can manage to stay one step ahead of the lawmakers creating the rules about what drugs are legal and which ones aren't.
Britain appears to be especially slow at passing laws to outlaw these drugs, so they are flourishing in the UK.
Whatever drugs are being used, citizens of the United Kingdom need to band together and work to stop the epidemic of alcohol and drug abuse that is crippling their country.
It takes hard work and time, but it's worth it in the end.