I used to drink a lot when I was younger too; Binge drinking was around then, and it still seems to be here now. I have known several people who have died through the effects of binge drinking, but isolated deaths are unlikely to deter the culture of binge drinking.
The recent changes to the licencing laws, allowing pubs/clubs to open for longer were supposed to help reduce the incidence of binge drinking, but I haven't seen any reports on its success or otherwise.
Seems to be quite a few factors to overcome;
1.A historical culture of binge drinking
2.Cheap/Free drink promotions by pubs/clubs
3.No history of cafe culture, like our european counterparts
4.British pysche of reserve when approaching the opposite sex.... it seems that only when drunk do the barriers come down.
I think its this last point that's the biggest reason for our style of drinking over here.... and that is why the 18-30 style holidays were/are so popular. Get ******, feel comfortable approaching people, get laid :)