Controlling alcohol - Enjoy it but know when to say ‘no’

As most of us know there are very few things in life as warming, as enriching, as sharing a few convivial drinks with the people we love.

This is especially so at holiday time — this time of the year.

Equally, we are all only too well aware of the terrible consequences of regular alcohol abuse. Nearly every family or business in this country has watched with something beyond despair as an individual, a relative or a colleague, surrenders their independence, career, quality of life, relationships and health to alcohol addiction. This pain is especially sharp in communities where alcohol misuse has been a factor in suicide or drink-related road deaths — more or less every community in the country.