The first time that Simone (not her real name) got drunk, she was 15 and studying in England.

'It was a school function, and they gave everyone two drinks. After that was over, we moved to the pub next door, then to someone's house,' she said.

'People were just carrying bottles of gin, Bacardi and rum around and drinking away.'

Although Simone - now 18 years old - returned to Singapore in 2006 and is now a student at the National University of Singapore, her binge drinking habit has continued.

'When my friends are in town, we drink on Wednesday nights, Saturday nights and maybe in between,' she said.

Drinking games such as the 'Moose game' are part of the fun.

'We only play the Moose game when we're really drunk. Basically, you put your hand at the side of your head and wriggle it, and the person next to you has to wriggle the opposite hand,' she laughed.

'If you mess up, which you will because you're drunk, you'll have to drink some more.'

Simone's binge drinking habit has given her some unpleasant experiences, such as the time she drank heavily in a pub while she was on holiday in Greece.

'I had about five Black Russians, three White Russians and a few shots of hard liqueur,' she said.

Black Russians are cocktails containing vodka and coffee liqueur, while White Russians contain vodka, coffee liqueur and cream.

'After all that, I started to lose any inhibitions, so me and two other girls started walking down the street. I called out to a bunch of guys and they offered to take us for a ride on their motorbikes,' she said.

'We were still drinking on the back of the bikes and we eventually ended up in another town. There, I think I ended up making out with strange guys.'

The next morning, she woke up at 5am, not knowing where she was. Luckily, she was able to find her way back to her hotel.

Although her binge drinking has led to several other brushes with danger, Simone said she will not give up the habit any time soon.

'While some people just drink because their friends drink, I actually like the taste of alcohol. Also, my boyfriend likes drinking and mixing drinks, so I often end up as his guinea pig,' she said.

She does, however, admit that social factors are an important impetus for her habit.

'When you drink with people, it gives you a little extra courage to do things that you would not have done otherwise,' she said.

'Also, it isn't really the drinking that's fun, but rather the excitement that comes after.'

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on June 4, 2008.