"There is a clear and growing problem in our town and city centers up and down the country on Friday and Saturday nights," said Prime Minister Tony Blair. "As a society, we have to make sure that this form of what we often call binge drinking doesn't become the new British disease."

Several factors are contributing to a rise in binge drinking in Britain, among them cheaper and more accessible alcohol, changing drinking patterns, and a jump in drinking among young women.

According to government estimates, drinking costs British society about $35 billion a year.

Britain has begun to address the problem by increasing penalties for drunken behavior, requiring pubs and clubs to hire extra police officers, and extending pub hours to discourage binge drinking at "last call."

But some experts question why the government is focusing on violence and mishaps after drinking instead of social conditioning.

"Personally, I think it's because we've become a much more aggressive society," said Dr. Paul Atkinson, a consultant in the emergency department at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. "We are not at the top of the league in drinking, but what it brings out in us isn't always good."

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