The pub is a truly British institution, a place where people socialise and unwind by having a drink or two after a hard week at work. But there can also exist a dark side to drinking in order to be sociable or unwind – drinking so much alcohol that your health is at risk.

Read about the effect that alcohol has on your body and listen to a radio interview discussing the problem of 'binge drinking'.

In this article you will practise:

• reading and listening skills: general comprehension and specific details
• summarising a text or spoken opinion
• some vocabulary on the topic of alcohol abuse.