Continental Bingers June 2008 Happy hours, open bars, and sales of bottles of strong liquor would be banned in France in order to prevent binge drinking under a new government plan, and beer taxes also would be raised. Far from the classic image of sophisticated Parisians demurely sipping wine at cafes, heavy drinking is a growing problem in France, with half of 17-year-olds saying that they get excessively drunk on a monthly basis or more. A pair of university students recently drowned in Nantes after a night of drinking, prompting the town to ban happy hours last October. "More and more kids are drinking strong alcohol and they have increasingly abusive conduct, when you ask them about it, they are not aware that they have a problem. They have no idea of abuse and dependence. Usually, they are drawn into drinking with others because it's fun and against the rules." Some schools in France have reported more students getting drunk during the school week or showing up intoxicated in class. Some small towns have imposed curfews to prevent youth rowdiness. "It's true, everyone's getting smashed more often, especially at weekends," said Julie, 16, a student in Paris. "The girls are boozing like the boys, though they prefer alcopops and wine while the boys are more into spirits.