ALCOHOL plays a big role in our society and many of us enjoy it enormously in moderation.

But it is also widely abused and the cost to individuals and taxpayers of binge drinking is phenomenal in both human and cash terms.

A significant proportion of violence at home and in the streets, general crime and the death and injury toll on our roads is directly related to excess drinking.

And that's aside from the damage done to relationships and working lives as well as the costs to our health service of treating alcohol related illness and other problems.

The key to cutting these costs is persuading people not to drink to excess and that means effective campaigns pointing out what will happen if they don't act sensibly.

Such an approach has had a real impact in reducing the number of smokers in the past decade.

Since there has recently been a worrying rise in binge drinking by young women it is to be hoped that today's comments by East Lancashire health experts will have a similar shock effect on those who drink too much.

Ravaged looks including distinctive pallor, bloodshot eyes and weight gains are surely not features any woman would wish for.