LONDON (AFP) - Fifty-nine percent of Britons aged between 18 and 24 drink alcohol just to get drunk and the practice is expected to rise during the football World Cup, a health information charity said.

The survey for the Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP) also found that 43 percent of 25 to 34-year-olds consume alcohol to get inebriated.

In total, 24 percent of all Britons share the same aim.

Thirty percent of British people -- 38 percent of men and 23 percent of women -- also admit to drinking too much in general, according to the DPP which surveyed 1,022 individuals.

Doctor David Wrigley, the DPP chairman, said: "The results are worrying as this means that the numbers are probably a lot higher when you take into account people who are not aware that they are drinking too much."

Twenty-nine percent of 18 to 24-year-olds say they forget what they have done after drinking binges and 39 percent feel embarrassed about their behavior, it said.

Eighty percent of 18 to 34-year-olds say they sometimes have trouble doing their work the next day because of a hangover while 27 percent of all Britons admitted to struggling at work after drinking.

Forty-four percent of 18 to 34-year-olds expect to drink more than usual over the period of the football World Cup in Germany, which begins on June 9 in Munich and ends on July 9 in Berlin.

"The World Cup for instance is likely to mean people are socialising more, so it will be especially important to keep a handle on how much you drink," Wrigley said.

"The first step in reducing your risks from too much alcohol is to keep track of how much you are drinking. Cutting down doesn't have to be particularly onerous as there are simple but effective steps you can take to reduce your alcohol intake," he said.

A separate survey on Tuesday revealed that one in six Britons have admitted to being under the influence of alcohol at work.

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