The sober truth: Drink isn’t part of our night out — it is the night out

SO, how long did you last? Too often, we drink ourselves silly over Christmas promising that January is going to be different. As we cheerily glug it back all through December, New Year’s Day looms, symbolising enforced abstinence and a return to purity. For a few weeks at least, the weight of our sinfulness will be lifted.

That’s the idea anyway, but chances are if you were promising your body a rest, you broke your pledge a couple of weeks ago. One wasn’t going to harm you, was it? And you’re quite right: one, two — even three or four sometimes — isn’t going to hurt you very much.

At the same time, making the ‘January detox’ resolution is no answer if you spend 11 months of the year overdoing it. Why disallow yourself on January 1 something which simply heightens the joy of everyday life? Why not pledge instead to be measured and rational over the years to come, and avoid having to pay any kind of penance for your understandable lack of willpower?