When Friday night comes you always slap on your lippy with a nice chilled Chardonnay to get you in the mood. Later, you knock back a few G&Ts when you hit the chrome and neon in the town centre, and a couple of double vodka Redbulls in the club do the trick to perk you up for a boogie. Sound familiar?

Seeing double
It's difficult to see anything wrong when your boozing doesn't stand out from the crowd. Sam, 23, sees herself as a fairly typical social drinker. She says, 'Over the weekend I usually have one big night out. I choose one drink, which could total about five pints of lager, one-and-a-half bottles of wine or five to six double gin and tonics. On Sunday I meet people at the local and drink between two to three pints of lager.'

As well, a couple of mid-week social occasions add another three to six drinks to Sam's total. It may not sound much, but she is drinking approximately double the recommended alcohol limit for a woman, with serious potential long-term effects to her health. As the number of women drinking at unsafe levels is increasing, Sam is not alone.

Why might this be? Anna, 25, thinks: 'Women are expected to hold their drink and keep up with the lads more than they used to be. A few girlfriends in typical City "work hard, play hard" jobs definitely feel the pressure to drink to fit in and get along with male colleagues.'

This boozy 'ladette' culture - fuelled by drinks offers and happy hours to part you from your cash and a firm British belief that having a good time equals being sozzled - is playing havoc with our health.

Women are more at risk of cirrhosis of the liver and other alcohol-related diseases than men, since their livers are smaller and less able to handle the alcohol in their systems. The overall incidence of liver disease has risen by 90% in 10 years, a very sobering thought, while other possible health effects range from brain damage to impaired fertility. Booze is also a trigger for depression and the possible damage to the unborn child means even one or two drinks a week in pregnancy are not worth the risk.

Sensible supping
The fact is, alcohol is very damaging to your health, but the good news is that drinking moderately – no more than your daily limit – can be of some benefit. So what's sensible?

Surprisingly, one double vodka puts you almost at your maximum for the day! For women, this should amount to no more than two to three units, totalling no more than 14 in a week. A unit is one half of lager, a small glass of 9% wine or a pub measure of spirits. Amazingly, a 'binge' is five or more drinks, and if you get through just one bottle of wine (easily done), you've drunk at least half your weekly allowance.

Avoiding drinks promotions, alternating with water or soft drinks, and remembering you shouldn't be matching the men beer for beer can help decrease your intake and protect your health. Let's face it, if it only stops you from snogging the dweeb in the corner at the end of the night, then cutting down is worth it!

Further information
If you're worried about your alcohol use, try the assessment from Down Your Drink. For further help, call Drinkline on 0800 917 8282.