ASIDE from a small sherry at Christmas, our female ancestors rarely partook in a drop of the hard stuff preferring to leave the serious drinking to the men.

How times have changed.

A survey has revealed that young women are now drinking as much, if not more, than the boys.

And with the so called "party" season looming the opportunities to drink 'till they drop will be increased.

Almost twice as many more women than men between 18 and 24 drink so much their health is at risk.

And these findings will no doubt fuel concern about the British girls who seem to be hell-bent on drinking copious amounts of alcohol to keep up with the lads -- or out-drink them as the case may be.

High profile "ladettes" like Zoe Ball -- who emerged from a hotel on her wedding day clad in jeans and Stetson and carrying a bottle of Jack Daniels -- and Ulrika Jonsson, who has been pictured swigging a pint, are seen as role models for the hard drinking women of today.

The latest nationwide figures reveal that six per cent of men aged bewteen 35 and 54 are high risk drinkers -- the highest proportion of men at all ages.

However, among women the highest proportion of heavy drinkers is much higher.

And, according to Lisa Leonard of Alcohol Concern, they are also at greater risk of liver damage.

"This," she explains, "is partly because a woman's weight is more dependent on fat while a man's is more dependent on muscle.

"Fat has a poor blood supply therefore alcohol in the blood stream tends to be more concentrated in women." Yet an increasing number of women seem to be ignoring the risks and are now drinking as much as men.

The proportion of women drinking over the recommended limit rose by 55pc between 1984 and 1996 -- now a fifth of women drink more than two to three units a day.

Eight per cent of those between 18 and 24 drink more than 35 units a week, or five drinks a day.

Compare that to the recommended limits given by the experts and the survey shows that close to one in 10 young women drink the equivelant of a bottle of wine a day.

In Britain, the common pattern is to "binge drink" -- consuming large amounts just before "last orders" are called at end-of-the-working week socialising or, especially at this time of year, Christmas parties.

Many people would not consider drinking six or seven glasses of wine excessive during a long party evening -- yet that would be classed as a binge.

And many young women now live the "Bridget Jones" lifestyle -- work, wine bar and several glasses of wine every evening, even more at the weekend.

But what does excessive alcohol actually DO to a woman's body?

Let us first look at it on a purely superficial level.

Take your crowning glory. Alcohol is a diuretic and therefore causes accelerated dehydration. A lack of body fluid causes dry and brittle hair. Excessive alcohol consumption can eventually result in hair loss.

And your skin can take a hammering too. Studies have found that high levels of alcohol consumption can exacerbate the skin condition psoriasis.

On a deeper level, excess alcohol can play havoc with a woman's reproductive system, cause oinflamation of the nerves and heavy, prolonged alcohol abuse is thought to be the third highest cause of dementia. PANEL

The recommended limit, according to the Royal College of Physicians, is 21 units a week for men and 14 units for women -- and not more than three units in one session for either sex.

The Department of Health's recommended limit is 28 units for men and 21 for women.

One unit is equal to half a pint of beer, a standard spirit measure or a small glass (125mls) of wine.