'Give binge-drinkers free condoms'

Britain's drinking culture is contributing to a rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and women experiencing unwanted pregnancies, they said.

A study of 520 people at one genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic found that almost nine in 10 (86%) drank up to quadruple the amount of alcohol in one sitting as that defined as binge-drinking.

Binge-drinking is often classed as six units of alcohol (three pints) consumed in one session.

All the patients attegnded the clinic in the south of England between February 1 and April 5, 2006. The researchers said many of them "binged heavily", consuming an average of 13 units on a usual night and 26 on a "heavy" night out.

"A total of 32% of subjects thought that alcohol played a role in their clinic attendance. A total of 77% had been drinking before sex with a new partner; of these, 65% were usually or occasionally very drunk."

Among the women in the study, 19% reported an unwanted pregnancy, with around a third saying they had drunk before having unprotected sex.

The authors of the research, published in the International Journal of STD and Aids (IJSA), said the issue needed attention.

They said that condoms, although freely available from general practitioners and family planning/GU medicine services, were not available in the places where people required them the most, like pubs and clubs.

Linda Tucker, one of the main authors of the study and a consultant nurse in sexual health and HIV in Portsmouth, said: "Politicians need to tackle the issue of cheap booze and to have properly funded early intervention and treatment programmes in place."