Support for MPs call to re-define binge-drinking
A leading trade group has backed calls for the term binge-drinking to be redefined.
Lib Dem MP and Publican columnist Greg Mulholland has criticised the NHS definition of the term which means anyone who drinks more than eight units a day - roughly equal to four pints of beer - is a 'binge-drinker'.
The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) welcomed his comments.
Nick Bish, chief executive of the ALMR, said: "Enjoying a few pints or a couple of glasses of wine with your friends shouldn't be the qualification for a "binge drinker".
"Excessive consumption is of course an issue and the counting of units is a helpful measurement but 'binge drinking' is clearly a term associated with drunkenness and anti-social behaviour.
"It's unfair to demonise the majority of sensible drinkers in such a way."
Mulholland previously said: "It's really important that we have a commonsensical definition of binge drinking - which is people drinking excessively over a short space of time."
