The proverbial "Could" as justification for anything.

Or Why the Government spoils your fun and free time.
Let me first preface this post by saying that being in the Industry whose life depends upon Alcohol and from my own personal enjoyment of it, I find the current Governmental trend of naysaying and nannying deeply offensive, hypocritical, ill-thought out, patronising and damn-right wrong; I'll try not to let this devolve into a rant but quite frankly I've got more than just the enjoyment of a GnT at the end of the day riding on it.
So first things first, lets start with definitions at it seems that no one really knows and the goal-posts have been moved many a time, to whichever political tune's been played at the time.

Units: Neatly summed as - "A unit of alcohol is defined as 10 millilitres (or approximately 8 grams) of ethanol (ethyl alcohol). This is approximately the amount of ethanol an average healthy adult can break down in an hour."
Binge Drinking: Now here's one that's changed from Drinking to get Drunk at the weekend to, more than two pints a day - "A popular 'definition' of binge drinking in the UK is the consumption of 50% or more of the recommended maximum weekly number of units of alcohol in 'one session', e.g. one night out. Thus, for a male the consumption of 4 pints of 5% ABV beer/lager would constitute 'binge drinking' ." However the current government definition is anyone who consumes more than their recommend daily limit is a "BINGE DRINKER", and so completely failing to understand the word Binge - 2 pints of 5% beer with a meal is not excessive.
Daily Limits: Because the era of common-sense is dead and we all need to be told how to live, we're advised not to drink more than 21 units a week - "regular consumption of between three and four units a day for men and between two and three units a day for women would not pose significant health risks, but that consistently drinking four or more units a day (men) or three or more units a day (women) is not advisable."
Which brings us neatly to the title of this post, the could, and from then to the why all this madness has come about to try and stop what should be a quiet pleasure and an inalienable human right.

When researching this post and having a vested interest, both professionally and personally, into these wonderful government guidelines I could find no hard evidence as to what happens when you drink more than 4 units a day. Nearly all the health pages and reference websites were filled with conditionals, may/could/might. The only definite ever stated (but not backed up with any link to scientific paper) was the "direct link between drinking and coronary heart disease" (ironic considering that drinking can also help lower the risk). And there's a very good reason for these conditionals: the Daily Limits were simply made-up as an intelligent best guess in the nineteen eighties.

And so from there to the why: Why are we being told how much to drink? Surely we as intelligent adults can live our own lives, no? Unfortunately not so, and for the very simple reason that the Nanny has more than just a mild concern for her wards.
Given that this country has a history of high alcohol consumption, an ingrained cultural leaning towards alcohol, its not surprising that with the lowering of the cost of alcohol in real-terms since the fifties, and the rise of social irresponsibility, that we have had a so called, albeit sensationalised-media-exploitation, "Binge Drinking Epidemic", (thankfully this social-trend is said now to be in decline) and with the Nanny also being in charge of healthcare spending it makes perfect sense - "If you drink too much, we have to clear up the mess, and that costs money".
However, firstly it's our tax-money (an irresponsible response but amusing nonetheless) and secondly why tell people to stop drinking when it is one of the major sources of tax revenue in the first place (just under 9 billion excluding the 17.5% from Alcohol-VAT in 2008). Thankfully when being told by the Nanny "what to do" she herself is confused.
But let's not be too frivolous, as Alcohol is a drug and an addictive one, we can see why the Nanny is scared and worried, when so often the picture is painted is one not too dissimilar from Hogarth's Gin Lane; but, amusingly and quite succinctly, there in we have it: people don't change, we all like a drink and society is not about to fall to the peril that is Alcohol. The only thing that has changed is that we're all now more informed.

"Lo! the poor tober whose untutored sense,
Sees bliss in ale, and can with wine dispense;
Whose head proud fancy never taught to steer,
Beyond the muddy ecstasies of beer."
George Crabbe 'Inebriety' 1775.

Suggested wine-style to try this week: Sweet German White, like a nice Riesling or Liebfraumilch.

P.S. I must apologise for there being too much whine and not enough wine in the above post but what with Sir Liam Donaldson being a "prime government Tool", I felt that a bit of real info and not media propaganda was needed.
As a final aside please do read this link as it puts a whole new level on the current "Alcohol and health" debate.