if we are to think that the greeks had it right with their mythology, dionysus has a lot to answer for.

i really did not intend to stay in a pub from 4pm onwards on saturday. i want to blame it on the poached eggs and toast that i had for lunch but i know that poached eggs and toast never did anyone much harm, so i won't. it's them bagels that do it to you, usually, being so low fat it makes you want to drink to compensate for their over-healthiness. i tried to make up for the bad behaviour by way of taking an invigorating walk around richmond's riverside (taking in ham house along the way) with a friend on sunday, despite the throbbing hangover.

like many others before me, i have tried for most of my drinking life to find a way of justifying drinking. i have found out like many others that red wine is supposedly beneficial, as is guinness. but no matter. if you drink, that's excess calories. you will become the owner of a beer belly and then it's all downhill from there.

ahhhh i know this is a slippery path i tread. there is only one more step you need to take before you become an alcoholic. i dare you to take the test.