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UK alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware has launched a Facebook application as part of its £5 million campaign to highlight the perils of binge-drinking.

The application invites Facebook users to identify their mates' drunken personas from a selection of eight, ranging from the witty one-liner cracking 'comedian', through the ever reliable 'wingman' to the cold-sweat inducing 'loose cannon'.

The 'Why Let Good Times Go Bad?' awareness campaign is being run in partnership with The National Union of Students and more than 40 companies from across the drinks industry, including brewers, pub chains and supermarkets.

From early September more than 16,000 pubs and bars will carry campaign posters. Meanwhile the outdoor campaign will mobilise posters across 10,000 phoneboxes within 150 metres of pubs, clubs and licensed premises nationwide, alongside 1,000 roadside billboards and 50 digital billboards in 17 shopping centres popular with young users.

Actresses Claire Cooper and Gemma Merna from television soap-opera Hollyoaks promoted the charity's tips for keeping cool on a night out under the banner 'Get watered, not slaughtered'. Advice for minimising the risk of losing control include drinking water or soft drink 'spacers' in between alcoholic drinks, keeping an eye on your friends and recipes for fortifying meals pre-drinking.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said: 'Obviously the best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much, but not drinking on an empty stomach and drinking plenty of water or soft drinks can help avoid a good time going bad and the dreaded morning after feeling the next day.'

The campaign comes after research by the charity found one in three young revellers go out with the express intention of getting drunk, and three quarters of 18-24 year-olds regret their drunken behaviour. Over a quarter of this age bracket have on at least one occasion had no recollection of how they got home after a night out, 18 per cent blame booze for a one night stand and three per cent have been hospitalised as a consequence of heavy drinking. Meanwhile, two thirds of young adults spend at least half a day recovering from the excesses of the night before.

Hollyoaks' Merna added: 'We all like a good night out but it's never good to have that drink which tips you over the edge and ruins not only your night but the next day too. Believe me, I've learnt the hard way! Get watered, not slaughtered and don't let the good times go bad.'

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