So, did anyone watch that documentary with Adrian Chiles the other night?

I thought it was really good as it wasn’t self-indulgent at all, just an honest assessment of his drinking habits and whether they can be controlled or not.

I think the reason it struck a chord with me is because Chiles is a similar age as me and also has similar drinking habits that have mild side effects such as lethargy, anxiety and stomach issues as the liver works harder.

Like Adrian Chiles, I can’t see a time when I am tea total as I enjoy a beer or a wine but I reckon, with a bit of effort, I can cut back on pointless drinking just out of habit. For example, if it is a Monday and there is a can of beer or half a bottle of wine left over from the weekend, I will drink it in the same kind of greedy way I would finish off a bag of crisps just because they happen to be there.

Why would I want to stop doing that?

Well, I am currently a bit overweight, and I get tired and niggly in the mornings, even if I have only had half a bottle of wine or a couple of bottles of beer.

So, to monitor what I take in, I have installed the Drinkaware App, just to see (with honesty being the key here) how many units I take on in week and where they have been largely pointless and could be easily avoidable just by breaking away from a lazy kind of greed.

I installed it yesterday and traced it back the over last week (Monday to Sunday). I took on 49.3 Units (see below) and that was after avoiding an end of season cricket piss up on Saturday evening. *Note that the App says last month but it is actually the last week as I starterd tracking on Monday 20th August.

So that’s knocking on for 4 times the alleged safe limit of 14 units that can be taken on. That sounds like I am a pisshead but the most I drank on one day last week was three pints and two big glasses of wine last Friday night, which in effect, is the weekly ‘safe’ limit gone.

I can’t see me getting down to 14 Units if I am honest, but I reckon I can get down to let’s say 25 units, by eradicating the needless stuff. Where I do hold something positive, is that I really don’t like being pissed these days, so it is never likely that I am going to binge badly and blow double my stack on one night.

Some people may laugh at that being a positive but I need to cling on to something.

The Drinkaware App is very interesting and you kind of build a relationship with it. Yesterday I took great pleasure out of saying ‘Take that you self-righteous little prick’ after tapping in ‘Drink Free Day’ as if though the App was going taken aback by my abstinence.

Abstinence on a Tuesday  is not that unusual for me but nor is having 4 or 5 units without really thinking about it, so I take that as a good start to getting a bit fitter and livelier in future, meaning my long dog walks are burning off more than just beer calories.

I have decided not to make any grandiose predictions or dictate to others what they should or shouldn’t drink, as it is about choice and there is nothing worse than being dictated to by the righteous. In reality, I just want to get rid of the pointless stuff at home as I am never going to go to a pub and buy an orange juice, I’d rather stay in.

I just hope that my relationship with the APP stays positive rather than, because of who I am, the obvious temptation to lie to the little bastard just to stop it coming up with warnings.

I’ll give you an update when a pattern has emerged or if I actually feel any better and slimmer for my efforts.

Chin Chin!

*Adrian Chiles-Drinkers Like Me is available on BBC Iplayer.