The winner drinks it all

I'm in the lead, and confident of winning the Radio Devon boozing contest.
But frankly, there's not much by way of competition.
I had hoped we might have a few real drinkers in our midst. Watching the TV news you expect everybody in Devon who is under 30 to be overweight, dressed in a dress that's far too small (that's just the blokes), and spending their time either rolling around the wide gutters of Union Street or being arrested for clocking some random love-rival for staring at their pint...
But the way things are sounding so far, I'll be lucky not to be admitted for an immediate liver transplant the second the drinking diary is over.
Sad really, because lots and lots of people I know drink pretty much like me.
The drink diaries seem to have gone from being a feature to show us just how
insidious boozing can be to being a drinks diet on which everyone shows just how
healthy they are. I must say I find it really hard to believe that Jess is
drinking more as a result, as she claimed on air this morning. Come on...
When I went out on my fairly normal night out on Wednesday - the booze marathon as legend would now popularly have it - there was a woman in our number. And I don't think she really drank much less than me. Nor do I think that is so unusual.
So why are those people taking part drinking less?
Well I guess it is entirely possible that they just don't drink much. As I said on the show this morning, Jess and Matt both start work at 4.30am. I wouldn't have had a big night out if I had to get up so early and, perhaps just as importantly, nor would I have driven myself to work so early the next morning.
But also, let's face it, there is a stigma to being perceived as a boozer. Every one of us has a job that is to some degree in the public eye. We have images to maintain, and nobody wants to be labelled a lush.
Maybe next time there should be a few anonymous 'controls'. People who don't give their identity but keep diaries anyway. It would seem likely that their might be a more accurate picture of the situation...
Oh yes. Santé and all that.