However, London is a place where drinking is deeply necessary. Business in the fermented streets of the city is conducted through a thin veil of functional alcoholism, and for many, a drink is as valuable as a promise.

You might argue that if everyone ate less and did more exercise then they would lose weight. In my experience, it is not that simple. Many people try in vain to lose fat because they are not following the most suitable system for their needs.

One thing people always seem to ask me is how long the products will last. I've been served drinks in people's homes that really should've been thrown out long ago. Similarly, I've been served whiskies in bars that have simply been open too long.

You are also more likely to succeed if you borrow an idea from the bodybuilding community. Have planned cheat meals (if deserved) every five-seven days and you are far likelier to succeed in the long term.

I've experienced first hand some truly incredible behaviour. I've had sommeliers refuse to address a wine to a female companion, or a bartender refuse to serve someone a particular drink (baffling).

It shouldn't be that noteworthy to abstain from alcohol for 31 days; has society become so defined by the 'binge drink' that it is a struggle to go without it for 8.3% of the year?

Start 2013 with a realistic, sensible goal. People often work in extremes. Horrible Christmas, impeccable New Year. Be patient, implement change gradually.

No intervention for obesity has been proven to produce clinically significant and sustainable weight loss in the medium- to long-term. Not diet, not exercise, not behavioural interventions, not even bariatric surgery.

New Year dieters should remember to count the calories in alcohol when they are trying to lose weight, a charity has said. Slimming is one of the t...

Last night was my seventh New Year's Eve. The seventh I woke up recalling what I did the night before, and the day before that and yes even the weeks leading up to it. The seventh New Year's Day I woke up not wanting to die, just so that it would finally be over. The seventh New Years Day I felt safe and reassured in the knowledge that I won't be back in a bar again in a few hours time. The shaking under control. The panic numbed and medicated into submission by the glass in front of me, and the one after that. And the one after that.

The very latest thinking is that those who score high on self-control lead lives characterised by effective habits and routines, rather than deploying that much active resistance. Better self-control seems to involve avoiding temptations, rather than resisting them.

Men thinking body size will allow them to beat the morning-after breathalyser is the height of folly, according to a survey. Tests show that height...