As more teenagers indulge in binge drinking, doctors are calling for stricter control on sales of alcohol in shops.
The prevalence of binge drinking is high among younger people, the Academy of Medicine said at a news conference on drinking yesterday. It cited statistics showing that of those between the ages of 18 and 24 who reported drinking, 7.4 per cent were binge drinkers.
The highest proportion of binge drinkers was found among drinkers aged 25 to 34; 15.6 per cent of them went on binges.
The data came from the 'Action Plan to Reduce Alcohol-related Harm in Hong Kong', published by the Health Department last year.
Binge drinking, the action plan states, refers to the intake of five or more alcoholic beverages within two hours on a given occasion. That is equivalent to an average of 62.5 grams of pure alcohol consumed.
With no restrictions on alcohol at supermarkets and other retailers, teenagers can easily buy alcoholic beverages, Dr Mak Sin-ping, president of the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine, said.