Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Addiction - a spiritual disease

This is Chimchar, my favourite character on Pokemon. He lives in a little red and white ball, and emerges on command to 'fight' the Pokemon of other trainers. A couple of days ago he 'evolved' into Montferno. 'Explorers of darkness' is what comes up if you go the website linked to above. This game is addictive.

I'ld like to buy a glass or two for whoever it was that first uttered the phrase, 'the demon drink'. We've moved on from Sharia this week, but one of the little-discussed aspects of Islamic law in this whole debate was the ban on alcohol. There are few Muslims who belong to Alcoholics Anonymous in the West. So could it be that Sharia works?

Archbishop warns on 24-hour drinking

When I first began blogging, I wrote about the dangers of the new 24-hour drinking law. Linking it to George Bush was the idea of my colleague Sam Coates, who now has his own top blog, Red Box. Some scoffed, as they are wont. Today, lo! We have the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, warning of the dangers of 24-hour drinking. And behold! Reuters is reporting that George Bush has been speaking movingly at an Episcopal care centre of his own battles with alcohol.

I'll resist it.

No, I can't.

'I told you so!!'

Britain 'a nation of George Bushes'

Members of Alcoholics Anonymous are fond of the citing the following: 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result.' Yet that is what we in Britain are about to do, with the new 24-hour licensing law that comes into effect tomorrow. We've been here before, but noone seems to realise it, and the potential results are terrifying.

Back in 1830, the Beer Act freed up trade in the selling of beer in the same way that 24-hour opening could be about to do here. The results were the predictable increases in crime and drinking that even the Government has admitted will be similar short-term consequences here. Only they weren’t short term then, and they won’t be now.