After a period of heavy drinking, one 40-something professional woman felt a short-term fix would not be the answer. So, instead of simply attempting “Dry January”, as many drinkers now do, she decided to abstain in December as well. That way, she reasoned, the prospect of an ascetic new year would not fill her with dread.

When she stopped, she told me recently, there was little ceremony. “My last drink wasn’t a last hurrah, I had two G&Ts (gin and tonic), went to bed and thought, ‘That’s that’.” She found the dry spell made her healthier and happier – so much so, she hasn’t touched a drop since.