I have lived in Milan for three years working with young adults and have constantly been asked to supply answers as to why, for so many of them, the overriding image of British (heterosexual) youth is binge drinking, violence, hooliganism and loutishness. It's a constant source of embarrassment for me because, apart from this, I love and am very proud of my culture and my country. Like the person above, I have NEVER seen an ambulance dealing with a drunk, have NEVER seen a fight, drink induced or otherwise, and see Italians, young and old, self regulating their drinking and viewing the levels of drunkness the British make a habit of as undignified and thoroughly 'uncool'. And they're right. It's pathetic. Although I do also sometimes have to counter their puritanism and explain that being a little drunk occasionally doesn't have to lead to violence, can be a bloody good laugh and doesn't necessarily have to do you or other people harm.