The county's hospitals deal with about 244,130 alcohol-related health issues a year, according to figures from Alcohol Concern.

More than 145,395 of these were dealt with by A&E departments, with 75,569 outpatient admissions and 23,166 inpatient admissions.

These figures, covering 2013, add up to a bill for Kent's NHS services of about £108 million every year.

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Now, as many take a break from the bottle for Dry January, health bosses and emergency service managers are asking people to think about the amount they drink, both for the sake of the their own health, and that of the county's public services.

Kent County Council’s Interim Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark said: "We worry about the short terms effects of alcohol particularly the impact on our blue light services and A&E.

But we're also worried about those people who are drinking more than the recommended amount."

Over the New Year period South East Coast Ambulance service saw a huge increase in emergency callouts, which paramedics put down largely to alcohol, both drink-related accidents and the physiological effects of excessive alcohol.

"You are more vulnerable when drunk because alcohol dulls your instincts and awareness of danger” - Kent Police Superintendent Lee Russell

Lee Rusher, from South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb), said:"If people can reduce the amount of alcohol in total they consume that's going to have health benefits for them, and on the wider health service, including the ambulance service."

SECAmb senior operations manager and Paramedic Chris Stamp reports: “We handle in excess of 850,000 calls a year; calls involving alcohol as the main concern only represent approximately five per cent of these but the actual total is likely to be far higher if other categories [potentially involving alcohol] such as road traffic collisions or falls and assaults were also included."

Research shows the numbers of people dying in Kent from liver disease has risen by 43% since 2002.

Watch: The impact of drinking

And Kent County Council figures show 272,000 people in the county are drinking at dangerous levels that increase their risk of many illnesses and conditions.

But it's not just the health services who are counting the cost of drinking.

Kent Police Superintendent Lee Russell says the police deal with thousands of alcohol-related incidents each year.

"You are more vulnerable when drunk because alcohol dulls your instincts and awareness of danger,” he said.

“Alcohol reduces your inhibitions, making you more likely to do things you wouldn't when sober.

"Drinking heavily on a night out puts you at risk of hurting yourself and others around you. Being drunk and disorderly risks you being arrested and getting a criminal record."

Kent Fire and Rescue Service also deals with the aftermath of excess alcohol.

Head of Community Safety, Lee Rose said: “We attend many kitchen and house fires that have started through people not paying attention or because they have left cooking unattended.

There’s no doubt that alcohol plays a part of in those distractions - fire starts when people’s attention stops.

"Alcohol can make it harder for people to wake up and realise what might be happening in their home, making it difficult to escape. Alcohol can alter judgement and may cause people to make bad decisions.

"We would always urge people to consider fire safety in their homes and watch how much they drink.”

The recommended safe drinking guidelines are just 3 to 4 units a day for men, equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer.

For women the limit is 2 to 3 units, the same as a small glass of wine.

Kent County Council is working with Alcohol Concern to encourage people to sign up to Dry January

Find out more on the Dry January website or visit the Facebook page.