I'm quitting my recreational drug use, and hope new guidance can help others manage theirs

So, we’re going to get some new guidelines from Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer. Shock of all shocks, they're widely expected to tell us that drinking isn’t good for us. Well wouldn’t you know! Nearly every choice we make involves a degree of robbing Peter to give to Paul – ask any smoker who banged on the weight when they tried to quit, or anyone walking around puffing and spluttering like lung cancer on legs insisting that smoking calms and relaxes them.

Yes, alcoholism is a disease, and this debate is pointless

Its depressing predictability in no way reduced the sadness of the news, which emerged at the end of last week, that Charles Kennedy’s untimely death was clearly linked to his on-going struggle with alcoholism.