The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) reported last year that the number of girls binge-drinking in the UK overtook that of boys for the first time (binge drinking being defined as more than five units in one sitting over the previous 30 days).

Prof Martin Plant, a lead author of the report, told a Bristol conference that, "there is clearly a profound social change going on. We have not seen this kind of increased trend among young women in opposition to men, ever."

According to a 2003 ESPAD report, more girls than boys in Ireland admitted to regular use of alcohol, and 30 per cent of Irish 16-year-olds reported being drunk 10 or more times in the previous 12 months, the highest number in Europe next to Denmark.

When it came to frequent episodes of binge drinking - three or more times in the previous 30 days - Ireland ranked first among the 35 European countries studied, with one-third of boys and girls admitting to the habit.