BY any stretch of the imagination I m not exactly a binge drinker but if I d ever thought about taking it up as a hobby, a recent night out in Brighton soon reminded me of why an occasional glass of wine does me just fine. The night itself was jolly enoug

BY any stretch of the imagination I'm not exactly a binge drinker but if I'd ever thought about taking it up as a hobby, a recent night out in Brighton soon reminded me of why an occasional glass of wine does me just fine.

The night itself was jolly enough but Good Lord, the sight of people of all ages drinking, swaying, mumbling and generally making idiots out of themselves was enough to make even the most hardened boozer renounce the demon liquor.

There were young girls grinding up against each other like cut-price strippers with only one routine and older ladies who should have known better dressed as devils for their hen night

In one group, who proudly announced they came from 'Safend' and had been drinking since 11am (it was about 9pm by this point), two girls were having the kind of never ending, circular argument that only really drunk people can have, because they've lost all powers of reasoning or the ability to construct sensible sentences.

It was, in short, carnage.

I quite enjoyed my little foray into this almost alternative universe but I don't think I'll be going back for a while, thank you very much - I prefer it on planet sober.

Not so some of the good people of Comet country it appears.

The statistics illustrating how many months people are losing off their lives in our area due to alcohol abuse make (ahem) sobering reading.

Fair enough, Stevenage's figure for men of 9.79 months is not a patch on the 22.8 months that boozy blokes in Blackpool shorten their existence by. But it's a bit grim to think drinking is having any kind of life-shortening impact at all.

Given all the diseases, illness and chances of accidents flying around, I think I'm not alone in generally doing what I can (within limits) to try to stay alive as long as possible.

It's appalling to think that what can so easily be an occasional, harmless habit (and in some cases it can even have health benefits, in moderation), is becoming a truly worrying public health issue.

We can always blame bars or drinks manufacturers and their two-for-one offers for the state people get themselves into, but the fact of the matter is no one is forcing anybody to down endless bottles of Bacardi Breezer.

Everyone is free to choose whether or not to buy alcohol, and, based on the evidence of that Saturday in Brighton, I'd definitely always opt for the latter.