Everyone enjoys a good old occasional tipple and even a good night out with some alcohol thrown in for good measure, but the phenomenon of binge drinking really needs to be tackled, and sooner rather than later.

It has become a common sight to see Maltese night owls drinking themselves into oblivion in our various night life Meccas. But the worrying thing is that binge drinking – which essentially means abstinence during the week and serious make-up time at the weekend – is becoming very common, especially among youngsters.

Ironically, the issue was highlighted in a recent standup comedy performance. The comic said: “You Maltese just love your drink, don’t you? Any excuse to get drunk. It’s not really village feasts you organise, that’s just a front for another excuse to drink.”

As can be imagined, the audience found it hilarious, as indeed it was. But once the point sank in, all that was needed was to look around at the tables to see that people were literally throwing the stuff down their necks.

Various government agencies have been trying to start campaigns to try and educate people, but it just doesn’t seem to be sinking in at all. The most worrying aspects of binge drinking are that it seems to be the younger generation that is being drawn into it and that, more often than not, people still drive after a heavy night out on the sauce. Indeed, many cannot even walk straight, but they still insist on getting into their vehicles – putting themselves, any passengers and other people on the road at risk.

A walk around Paceville will surely lead to raised eyebrows. Apart from people staggering through the streets, and others hurling the contents of their stomachs onto the pavements, some people literally pass out in doorways.

And it is not a case of people not knowing their limits. Granted, this is sometimes the case. But as far as binge drinkers are concerned, just ask any of the Friday and Saturday night crowds what their plan is and, nine times out of ten, the response will be: “We’re going to get wasted.”

This is indeed worrying. People know what they are going to do beforehand. We are not going to be unrealistic and say that youngsters need more sports activities and whatnot. That’s a closed mindset – the younger generation simply want to go out and have fun. So what can be done? The Sense Group has perhaps come up with the best approach, and that is self-regulation. Perhaps bars should not sell trays of vodka mixed with energy drinks at such dirt-cheap prices. Perhaps bar staff should be better trained and not serve underage kids with alcohol and should act responsibly by not serving more alcohol to severely inebriated patrons.

These are only some ideas. But what the police really need to do is stake out bottle shops where kids as young as 14 buy their alcohol on a Saturday night. How they get it is another matter entirely – they may get an older person to buy it for them. But surely, the police can do more to patrol the areas where they congregate and simply get bladdered. It is a time-bomb that is ticking. We only have to look at the UK to see what harmful effects such habits can bring. After all, Britain is an island nation much like ours. If one has lived in both countries, one can see the similarities – and we need to nip this in the bud before it really starts to cause harm.