There are plenty of countries that would try to claim themselves as the drunkest in the world. But sadly, there can only be one winner (if you want to call serious alcoholism a win).

It seems as though the countries that make up the United Kingdom have collectively earned that titled, according to a new survey.

The research suggests people in the UK get drunk more than anywhere else in the world, with an average Brit getting tanked a little more than 51 times in a year - which is nearly every week.

Credit: PA

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It's not the most comprehensive study considering that only 36 countries were included, so there could be a dark horse lying undiscovered. While the country list might be small, it's described as being the largest in the world.



Following Britain, America (50), Canada (48) and Australia (47) made the second, third and fourth spots respectively. Ireland and India were tied on 41 and the Danish scored well with 42.

Survey founder Professor Adam Winstock said: "We get told too much is bad, and it is, but current guidelines fail to accept the pleasure of intoxication and give little guide on difference between being a little drunk and a lot drunk, and doing it 3-4 times a year versus weekly. We need to have that conversation.

"In the UK we don't tend to do moderation, we end up getting drunk as the point of the evening.

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"Until culture changes and we become more European and moderate in our drinking, we might have to bite the bullet and think about how to advise people to get drunk drinking less.

"Getting drunk carries risks of injury and health harm, but we need to start highlighting the risks at different levels of drinking even if they are above safe limits."

Credit: PA

While Australia might be languishing in fourth place for amount of alcohol consumed, at least it takes the top spot for another drinking statistic (although, again, it probably isn't anything to cheer about).

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The land Down Under takes the cake for the highest number of people who sought out emergency help for alcohol in the last 12 months. That's certainly a concerning statistic.

People in the UK came in second to that survey so it seems like the Brits are the drunkest and nearly the best at needing treatment for those same drinks.