It's a typical Friday night. People go out, meet their friends in the pub and get raucously drunk on numerous pints of lager - and that's just the women.

Surprised? You may be but surely these days women have as much right to drink pints as men when they go out on the town.

TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson's party trick is to down her pint in one and this 'laddish' behaviour is increasing her popularity among men and women, whether it is right or wrong.

But Alcohol Concern's annual report shows 500,000 women a week are downing more than 35 units a week, which works out at about four-and-a-half bottles of wine a week.

The recommended limit for women was 14 units a week, but the Government has since increased it to 21, despite an outcry from organisations who have to pick up the pieces of alcohol abuse. However, it seems more women are drinking pints, not to copy the men, but simply because they enjoy it.

Catherine Evans and Louise Wiggins are two of the increasing number of women who guzzle pints when they go out and they don't see anything wrong with it.

The friends, who work together at a language school in Oxford, claim it is cheaper and less time is spent repeatedly going back to the bar because pints of lager last longer than a gin and tonic.

"I have been drinking pints since I was 17," said Catherine, who is a social organiser at the school.

"In my group of friends, if you had a pint in your hand, it wasn't just a lad's thing to do. "Plus you don't have to go to the bar as often and it was a cheaper option for us when we were students."

But neither girl does it to look macho in front of the blokes.

Administration assist- ant Louise, 21, said: "I started drinking pints at college and because it was a pound a pint, I would drink pints instead of spirits. At college I used to go out drinking two or three times in the week and would go mad!

"I don't think I started drinking pints because blokes did, it's more a case of 'why shouldn't we?'"

When the two go out drinking with friends, their usual hangouts are the array of pubs scattered in Oxford's George Street.

"I wouldn't say women drink more than men. Men can put away twice as much as women - I had three pints last Friday and was absolutely leathered!" laughed Catherine, unashamedly. "I have a couple of female friends at home who always have a pint in front of them, but maybe they're an exception.

"I tend to have a couple of pints if I'm going out and then I stick to shorts," said Louise.

The girls love their pints and they don't care whether men like it or not.

Louise said: "It depends on the blokes, but I don't know any men who think it's bad when girls drink pints. I always have lager and lime when I'm out."

"Most of my family don't mind that I drink pints and they are quite relaxed about it.

"I must admit I would prefer to drink a glass of white wine as I like the taste, but I do love lager.

"Someone I know drinks pints even though he doesn't like the taste of it!"

The pair don't think they drink enough to worry about their alcohol intake and both say they don't binge when going out. Catherine said: "I like Guinness and Murphy's but if I'm out on a Saturday I will have pints of lager. After two pints, I feel a bit merry and after three I feel very drunk, but I used to be able to drink more in my student days.

"I tend to spend bet- ween £10 and £20 on a night out. However, I don't think I drink enough to worry about it. I only really drink pints at weekends and if I'm sitting at home I might have a glass of wine."

Hannah Lynes, vice- president (women) at Oxford University Student Union, said: "I'm not promoting binge drinking and think everyone should be careful but I do drink pints and have done since I was 16."

She said when she was 16 she did it because she didn't want it to be seen that she couldn't take it.

"It's not stupid to drink pints because it looks better - why shouldn't women drink them? I started drinking them because at the time I thought it looked beautiful and sexy, but I didn't even like the taste to start with. "What we need to do is break down these gender stereo types. I drink pints because it looks better and it's a cultural thing. A half says something different."

Hannah, 22, added that lots of female students at the university drink pints, but no-one is looked down upon if they drink bottled beer or 'alcopops'.

"Sure, people drink a lot and I would imagine women are drinking more now than ever. We need to educate all young people about the dangers of bingeing." A spokesman for Alcohol Concern said: "The broad overview is that men drink far more than women and have done so for a long time but it is more stable.

"The problem of women drinking more has risen steadily over the past 12 years.

"They are getting married and having children later in life so now it seems women are following the drinking pattern, not because they are sheep, but because they have the same economic opportunities.

"It does worry us because it has a broad impact on health. If you are drinking to excess, you are more vulnerable in terms of accidents and violence.

"Women's bodies don't deal with alcohol as well as men's."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.