Mental Nurse often has very interesting and thought provoking blogposts. There has been a recent two-parter called 'My brother the alcoholic' - I would recommend that you give both parts a read so you can see exactly how the mental health system tends to treat people with mental health problems who also have an alcohol addiction.

And this is from a family member who knows the system - if you don't know the 'tricks' then you can guess what sort of service you get.

Read Part One.

Then Part Two.

The plan that was supposed to happen for the next two weeks is that I wander around the UK (on your recommendations), unfortunately for the last two days I have been suffering from a bout of diarrhoea and being stuck on a motorway with while desperate to visit the loo is a thought that doesn't fill me with joy.

So I'm postponing it until I feel better. The good news is that it isn't happening while I am supposed to be working, otherwise I would be up before the 'competency hearing' that I've been threatened with. That or rustling while I walk around in incontinence pads...

Good news though as I have a piece I wrote for the Guardian up at Comment is Free. Getting some interesting comments as well, which is lovely.

UPDATE: It would seem that whoever posted the article edited the final paragraph for reasons unknown. It should read

Due to public concern and the opinions of experts the government is seeking to reduce the amount of alcohol drunk, especially by the young. However until we have a change in culture of a similar magnitude to that which made 'drinking until you fall down vomiting' popular these problems will only get worse.

Perhaps in the future the fashion may be to drink sensibly.

I live in hope.