I am delighted to say, that without me saying anything my non drinking example is spreading throughout the office. In the small team of five I work in only one person now drinks and he is thinking of cutting down dramatically. Being surrounded by people saying how great they feel, how alert, and the obvious improvement it has in the work they do really does make a difference. One of my colleague who was notorious for his rose wine consumption even managed five days at a very boozy conference in the South of France and stayed sober the whole time. Showing by example is so much softer than trying to nag people to stop drinking - and it works! 

It is nearly seven years since I had a drink but the other night we were at a restaurant and my wife had a glass of Moet. She has not had a drink for seven years either but gave up just to keep me company. Of course I didn't mind her drinking and I enjoyed smelling the champagne and enjoying the sense of it. Was I tempted? It did cross my mind that I wasn't told to quit, I didn't need to quit for medical reasons and so there was nothing to stop me having a glass too. I even thought how nice it would be  - for a second or two. But then I remembered how addicted I used to be, how much the habit could easily come back and I knew that one glass would be a glass every day, then a bottle, then wine as well, then cider and in no time I would be the same alcoholic I was all those years ago. This time however my body would be able to take it far less and I would definitely be signing an early death warrant as opposed to hopefully having another few decades to live.