ONE of the features of night times in our town and city centres is the increasing prevalence of drunk young women.

Fifteen or more years ago, it was almost unheard of for young women to indulge in alcohol to excess. Young men certainly, but not women. Today the late-night streets are populated by equal numbers of men and women and it's hard to judge which sex tends to be the most intoxicated.

Norms have changed. Women trying to be like men is one of those socially fascinating phenomenon much loved by TV series producers and Sunday supplement editors. But a price is clearly being paid. While women are rightly enjoying aspects of life once thought of as the preserve of men, they are also suffering the penalties of their vices.

There has been a big rise in deaths from liver disease in the past 10 years, the chief medical officer revealed this week. By the far the most worrying statistic was the rise in deaths from chronic liver disease among young people, particularly young women.

The chief medical officer is a certain Mr Liam Donaldson, who spent 15 years working in the North-East, during the early part of his career. He knows better than most the culture of drink for which this part of the world is unfortunately well-renowned. The culture of binge drinking is well-established in the young but he knows stern lectures will have no effect.

The answer lies in our schools, surely. We prepare our children for the world of sex and the dangers of drugs but give them very little information about alcohol. Most young people's attitudes towards drink are formed by their parents or the world of advertising. The former may not always set a good example and the latter does not have sensible consumption at the top of the list of ideas it is trying to sell.