I’ve occasionally been asked why it is that I need to go for a drink before watching the Albion play. I’ve always answered with something lame, along the lines of, “You wanna try watching us sober”… where does this urge come from? I’ve raced off to games hours early to give me a chance to drink a lot of beer in a relatively short time … the craic is good, usually. Sometimes it isn’t, Occasionally it’s all rather boring. But I always make the effort. Why? Well..’ Adrian Chiles hosts Chiles on Friday on BBC Radio 5 Live. He co-presented both The One Show and Daybreak, and was for five years the chief presenter for ITV Sport's football coverage. He writes a regular column in both the Guardian and the Sun, which not many people can claim. His previous book, We Don't Know What We're Doing, was about obsessive West Bromwich Albion fans. It’s safe to say that Adrian used to drink too much – as he freely admits himself. Over the last few years he has cut down significantly though, as he tells in the personal chapters of the book which cover his whole drinking life, from his first teenage beers to today. But he has no wish or intention to quit completely. He still enjoys some drinks, but not others; this is a big theme for him.

The Good Drinker - Profile Books

The popular broadcaster and columnist sets out to discover the unsung pleasures of drinking in moderation. Kate and Mandy are familiar faces in the Club Soda community, and this is not their first book either. Love Your Sober Year builds on their previous Love Yourself Sober book, set around the annual cycle of nature. The four seasons are the main sections of the book. Each section is divided into 12 chapters.Adrian is a British TV and radio journalist, perhaps best known as a football commentator and fan. He did a TV programme a couple of years ago called Drinkers Like Me, where he examined his drinking habits and wondered whether he should cut down. This book is a sort of follow-up to the TV show. Other chapters consider work, and telling lies. Throughout, there are exercises to do. The “soul” of the book’s title doesn’t refer to a religious idea by the way, but more to an internal essence we all have. And Carder doesn’t claim that we are all addicted to alcohol or drugs either!). I wouldn’t say We Are All Addicts is a typical quit lit book. But it is well written, and has some interesting things to say about how we see addiction and recovery, especially for American readers. The Good Drinker also has the stories of other moderate drinkers, interviews with experts, and practical tips and strategies for cutting down. Adrian is a good and engaging writer so the book is a pleasure to read, and there is lots to digest for anyone considering or practising moderate or mindful drinking. I didn’t agree with everything (for example I think Adrian puts too much emphasis on units, though if they work for him then calculate away!). But this book is a great addition to the still very small collection of books aimed at the moderate drinker.