The seemingly endless round of Christmas get-togethers, office parties and family celebrations means it is difficult to avoid alcohol during the festive season. To combat all that, Drinkaware has launched a live examination of the nation’s drinking habits, which anyone can take advantage of by visiting the organization’s website.

Britain is now seeing an increase in the amount of alcohol-related liver damage in people under 30. In fact, one in three adults drinks enough to risk alcohol-related liver disease.

McCann warns of other dangers as well. “People need to know what abuse of alcohol can do to them in the short term. It can affect your safety if you are getting an unlicensed cab home or if you are ill. But in the longer term it can increase your chances of contracting lots of health problems, like liver damage, mental health issues, and some forms of cancer,” she said.

Yet risks to personal safety do not seem to deter most Christmas drinkers, as personal testimonies prove. “I don’t know how I’m getting home – I’ll worry about that later!” said one British pub patron to RT.

According to the police, alcohol-induced social problems are also more pronounced during the holiday season. Muggings and street brawls become a common sight on the streets of many towns in the UK.

Indeed, the consequences of such annual bacchanalia are so extensive that the ambulance services have special provisions for dealing with drunkenness at this time of year.