ONE woman is on her knees, vomiting. Her companion is sprawled on the pavement kissing a beggar. It is the end of another classic night out in York.

Our picture encapsulates the risks and the wretchedness of binge drinking among women.

Men are much the worst culprits when it comes to alcohol-related trouble. For years they have equated booze intake with virility.

The results of this primitive attitude are found in casualty and the courts.

But only recently have young women tried to match them. Egged on by a popular culture which portrays booze-fuelled casual sex as the pinnacle of fulfilment, they are drinking themselves stupid.

Depressingly, more than a fifth of those brought before the courts for alcohol-related offences are now women.

But the consequences can be much worse than a criminal record. Our reporter Alex Lloyd's account of a night with the York revellers makes shocking reading.

Having downed too many drinks to count, women staggered off in the early hours alone, or with men they had only just met. The dangers of such behaviour are obvious and frightening.

If the women escape with nothing more than a sore head, they may think themselves safe. But experts warn that the impact on their long-term health from binge-drinking could be severe.

On Monday the Government announced its Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. This is right to demand more responsibility from a drinks industry which cynically targets women with cut-price spirits, knowing the men will follow.

Ministers should also recognise that alcohol is society's most dangerous intoxicant, and start spending as much on programmes to counteract binge drinking as they do tackling the use of illegal drugs.

It is time Britain sobered up to the fact we have a serious drinks problem.

Updated: 10:16 Friday, March 19, 2004