Madam, - After reading Eithne Donnellan's report on binge drinking in your edition of April 17th, I went to our local shopping centre to buy an 18th birthday card for a young cousin and was delivered a salutary illustration of how all-pervasive binge drinking is in our culture.
Wishing to appear cool and trendy, I studiously avoided cards featuring extravagant floribunda, airbrushed bunnies or cute rodents and headed for the humorous cards. The first one I picked up proclaimed: "Happy 18th birthday. You're now old enough to legally vote and drink." The punch line came on the inside: "So I vote we go to the pub and get pissed!" Most of the other cards were variations on that theme. - Yours, etc.,
EIMEAR BERRY,
Dundrum,
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Dublin 16.