BY YEO SAM JO and ZAIHAN MOHAMED YUSOF

TAKE a walk outside a bar or club most nights and you will see what Lady Gaga meant when she sang: "I've had a little bit too much".

Drunks can be seen throwing up what they had for dinner, staggering and passing out on the streets.

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Dicing with danger Click on thumbnails below to view. Story continues after photos. (Photos: ST)

Problem is, these heavy drinkers are getting younger.

Many young people are into binge drinking, which is defined as five or more drinks for males and four or more for females.

Doing this at an early age can be the first step towards a life of alcoholism, said John, a volunteer with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Large increase

AA helps drinkers from those in the late teens to those in their 60s John, a former alcoholic, said he has seen "a large increase in the number of people approaching AA for help" this year.

He could not give exact figures.

John is not his real name as AA does not identify its volunteers or those who go to it for help.

Just last month, a 23-year-old man drowned in the Singapore River after downing too much alcohol with his friends.

But the incident is not going to deter polytechnic student Eddie Tan, 19, who admits to drinking too much.

He usually goes club-hopping with friends every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

On a regular night-out, he and his three friends are likely to consume one bottle of hard liquor, a few shots each and other drinks like Long Island tea and martinis.

He said: "When we get sloshed, we puke everywhere. It's just how we chill. Our heads hurt after that. That part's not so fun."

Young drinkers like Eddie say they like alcopops best. These are flavoured beverages packed with alcohol.

Teens buy them from convenience stores and down them like soft drinks. By the time they hit the clubs, they are already drunk.

It's the same in countries like the US, Ireland and Australia.

The Australian government has slapped higher taxes on alcopops in an effort to stop binge drinking among the young.

Clubs here said they noticed the binge drinkers tend to be the young.

"It's usually the younger ones - those in their teens or 20s. They can't hold much," said Mr Royston Gin, 26, operations manager at The Arena.