Six bottles of alcopop and five or six vodkas? Just another girls' night out
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Your support makes all the difference."Here's my ID," says Jenni, 17, handing the bouncer someone else's driving licence. "That's fine," he replies, moving out of the way to let her into the pub. Her friends, Debbie and Louise, both 17, and Claire, 16, glide through too with a flicker of eyelashes and a flash of fake ID. Andrea and Gaelle aren't so lucky - the bouncer turns them away. "They'll probably go down the road," says Debbie. "They don't care about ID there."
It's 8.30 on a Friday night in Chichester, West Sussex, but it could be any town or city in Britain, and the pub is already full of teenage drinkers hell bent on getting drunk. On a normal Friday night the girls reckon they get through six bottles of alcopop each and four or five shots of vodka as well. "It's very fattening though," Debbie laughs. "There are 232 calories in this," she says pointing to the orange Reef in her hand - her third so far. "I had at least 13 drinks last Friday night - but I can't remember after that."
"Our parents don't mind," says Louise. "They're quite relaxed about it so long as we get home safely."
At closing time a crowd pours on to the street to wait for a coach to one of Chichester's two nightclubs. Fifty teenagers pile on - it's like a school trip, although more rowdy and drunken.
Inside the club, the dance floor is heaving and the DJ is imploring people to buy Red Square (another alcopop) for £2. Debbie's dancing partner has his hands on her bottom. "That's not her boyfriend," says Jenni, alarmed, diving into the crowd.
After several songs, two more double vodkas and three bottles each, the girls stagger into the waiting minicabs and head home. The next morning they are all, says Jenni, "feeling fragile". But they had a good time, got home safely, and are looking forward to next Friday night.
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