:00:05. > :00:11.The Christmas parties are Rover, behind their peers have just about
:00:11. > :00:16.one-off, but now we are being told we should you drink so much -- the
:00:17. > :00:23.hangovers. Tonight, how Bristol's revellers have been stretching
:00:23. > :00:28.public services to the limit. want to go home!
:00:28. > :00:31.Wildlife presenter Mike Dilger takes his own Dry December
:00:31. > :00:36.Challenge, a month of festive merriment without alcohol. I have
:00:36. > :00:41.not had a month without alcohol since the age of slightly less than
:00:41. > :00:48.18. I have no idea what I expect, it could be tough, could be quite
:00:48. > :00:52.easy. To is the West Country's otters
:00:52. > :01:00.population getting out of control? Angry anglers say they are eating
:01:00. > :01:10.too many fish. When the specimen fish have gone, what will it lead?
:01:10. > :01:11.
:01:11. > :01:16.He will attack things. It is that time of year when many
:01:16. > :01:21.of us decide to give up alcohol to allow our bodies to recover from
:01:21. > :01:26.the over indulgences of Christmas. Television naturalist Mike Dilger
:01:26. > :01:31.is one step ahead of the game. We challenged him to go without
:01:31. > :01:41.alcohol for the most sociable month of the year, and to explore how
:01:41. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:49.alcohol abuse is stretching public It is 20th November, which is why I
:01:49. > :01:54.am making this a large one. In today's I am heading for a mother
:01:54. > :01:58.of sobriety, no alcohol will touch my lips in the month of December.
:01:58. > :02:03.The government reckons 10 million of us are drinking too much. Our
:02:03. > :02:10.health is suffering. I got wrecked tonight and I was sick everywhere.
:02:10. > :02:15.Any idea how many units you have had? Probably about 20. I can't
:02:15. > :02:18.live like this, waking up in the morning shaking like a leaf. Will I
:02:18. > :02:26.find it easy to break my own habits? Sunday lunch without a
:02:26. > :02:36.glass of red? Cheers. I have worked out how much I have been drinking.
:02:36. > :02:39.
:02:39. > :02:45.I reckon five for six nights a week. Really? Yes. I didn't know you
:02:45. > :02:49.drunk that much. I have two bottles of wine each week, and five or six
:02:49. > :02:53.pints. It is young people the medics are
:02:53. > :02:56.particularly worried about. We are getting young people in who
:02:56. > :03:03.really, if they don't sort out their drinking and stop drinking
:03:03. > :03:11.now, will probably not survive. we all need to watch our drinking?
:03:11. > :03:16.Before I start my Dry December I am getting check out by a Bristol GP.
:03:16. > :03:21.On an average week, how many units do you drink? Probably five or six
:03:21. > :03:28.nights a week, I would say probably a couple of bottles of wine, and
:03:28. > :03:35.five or six pints of beer. bottles of wine, �5, about 30 units.
:03:35. > :03:41.Government guidelines say 21, up to 20 units for men, for women,
:03:41. > :03:47.significantly less. He then runs be through a tough questionnaire on my
:03:47. > :03:53.drinking habits. The audits court is seven. A total of over five,
:03:53. > :04:03.increased -- indicate a high risk drinker. The red light is on the
:04:03. > :04:03.
:04:03. > :04:13.dashboard. Let's put you on the scales. 82 kilos. With your shoes
:04:13. > :04:16.
:04:17. > :04:21.off. 120 over 76, I would say. Pretty good. Am pleased with that.
:04:21. > :04:25.There has been that little warning. Maybe a month off will do me good.
:04:25. > :04:29.Very good luck with that. We shall meet again in a month's time and
:04:29. > :04:33.repeat all this and we will see what, if any different, there is.
:04:33. > :04:41.am not the only presenter who is giving up alcohol this Christmas.
:04:41. > :04:46.Luckily, 11 others, one from every BBC broadcast region, are joining
:04:46. > :04:52.me on this crusade. It is November 30th, so tonight is our last night
:04:52. > :04:57.on the source. Gentlemen, I have to say, I have not had a month without
:04:57. > :05:01.alcohol since the age of slightly less than 18. I have no idea what I
:05:01. > :05:08.am expecting. Bigger be carnage, could be tough, to be quite easy. -
:05:08. > :05:14.- it could be. Weight loss, an inevitability. That is good. We are
:05:14. > :05:19.going to meet up for a lime and soda in the middle of December,
:05:19. > :05:23.looking forward to it. We are when away. We were about to sober up
:05:23. > :05:27.fast, because joining us tonight is a forensic photographer who can
:05:27. > :05:32.project what we will look like in 10 years, if we carry on drinking
:05:32. > :05:36.at the same rate. Stand-up comedian Toby Foster is a presenter for
:05:37. > :05:45.Radio Sheffield. He admits he puts a few away. Faced with an
:05:45. > :05:54.impression of himself after 10 years drinking, he is shocked.
:05:54. > :06:01.is not me! That is a Jim Henson character. He is dead. And then it
:06:01. > :06:07.is my turn. Surely it cannot be that bad. Alec Alex Curran that
:06:07. > :06:17.come with a street. I also look about 57, a lot more than I am now,
:06:17. > :06:18.
:06:18. > :06:20.for the record. A lot of sagging, filling out, a lot of drop. Alcohol
:06:20. > :06:24.accelerates the ageing process so everything will start to drop
:06:24. > :06:29.quicker than it would do if you were not drinking so much but you
:06:29. > :06:35.have a bit of weight gain from the calories in alcohol. We have a one
:06:35. > :06:40.hour left to drown our sorrows and by closing time, we are very merry.
:06:40. > :06:46.Is it in appropriate after about five pts to say I love you? I love
:06:46. > :06:51.you too. I think I love you more. Happy Christmas.
:06:51. > :06:59.I haven't drunk that much in a long time. But after all, I am giving it
:06:59. > :07:05.all up for a whole month. It is 3rd December. I am three days into my
:07:05. > :07:08.Dry December challenge. The first two days, police with it. Not
:07:08. > :07:16.having alcohol this month, telling everybody. Feeling good about
:07:16. > :07:21.myself. Saturday evening, watching X-factor, I'm not sitting he would
:07:21. > :07:26.you without a large glass of red wine, it feels quite peculiar. It
:07:26. > :07:31.is the Saturday before Christmas in Bristol city centre. The police
:07:31. > :07:36.have their hands full dealing with drunken revellers. I, of course,
:07:36. > :07:40.and stone-cold sober but I want to find out how much people drink on
:07:40. > :07:48.an average weekend night. When you start coming up and drinking?
:07:48. > :07:55.don't know. What is your favourite drink? Jager master. Any idea how
:07:55. > :08:04.many units? No. What are you drinking tonight? Ford Kirk, wind,
:08:04. > :08:10.whatever I can get my hands on -- Any idea how much units you have
:08:10. > :08:17.had? About 20. Do you know the recommended limit for women for a
:08:17. > :08:24.week? No. 14. A I am probably gone. It is not just the youngster's
:08:24. > :08:32.exceeding the limits. Five pints of Stella, I expect. I couldn't drink
:08:32. > :08:37.five pints of Stella. You know what they call that, don't you? Most
:08:37. > :08:40.drinkers could probably cut down if they chose to. But those who become
:08:40. > :08:46.addicted will need professional help. I have come to meet staff
:08:46. > :08:50.Noble who runs a rehab centre in Weston-super-Mare. One of the
:08:50. > :08:54.biggest changes I have seen has been the amount of damage and
:08:54. > :08:59.particularly liver damage we are seeing in relatively young people,
:08:59. > :09:02.particularly when huge quantities of alcohol are being consumed at
:09:02. > :09:07.the age is coming further down, younger and younger people are
:09:07. > :09:13.drinking more and more of golf, and we are seeing the effects of that.
:09:13. > :09:21.Today I am also meeting Kate and Kieran, both recovering alcoholics
:09:21. > :09:24.who have been treated at Broadway Lodge. Kieran is only 31. Drinking
:09:24. > :09:29.started when there was about 13 years old. With my friends, after
:09:29. > :09:34.school, hanging about, it getting someone to buy us a drink and
:09:34. > :09:41.drinking in the park. I would wake up and I would be shaking,
:09:42. > :09:51.borderline fitting. Really ill. My doctor committee p, told me he was
:09:51. > :09:54.keeping the a life. -- keeping me alive. Last Christmas you're in a
:09:54. > :09:59.bad way, how will you be this Christmas? Spending it with my
:09:59. > :10:02.family. They will be able to trust me and I will be able to enjoy it
:10:02. > :10:08.and remember it. Kate was a respectable teacher in her late
:10:08. > :10:14.forties when she became addicted to alcohol. At my worst, this was not
:10:14. > :10:18.know was teaching, I would drink three bottles of wine in a day. It
:10:18. > :10:23.affected my eating patterns, I didn't eat much. It affected my
:10:23. > :10:31.sleep. I couldn't sleep and divided sleep it was a fitful sleep which
:10:31. > :10:37.gave me no comfort or release. It affected me at the level of having
:10:37. > :10:43.physical shakes. It affected my whole mental co-ordination. What
:10:43. > :10:50.has this place done for you? It was an escape. I will be honest and say
:10:50. > :10:56.that. It was a haven of peace, tranquillity. That is my perception.
:10:56. > :11:00.At the Bristol and North Somerset addiction recovery agency and
:11:00. > :11:07.meeting up with 32-year-old Luke, still very much in the grip of
:11:07. > :11:13.alcoholism. You have had a couple of gigs today? Yes. Why was that?
:11:13. > :11:22.was shaking like a leaf. -- couple of drinks. I can't function if I
:11:22. > :11:29.don't have a drink. How much are you drinking at the moment? 10 cans
:11:29. > :11:35.of cider, 7.5%. What happens if you don't have any alcohol at all?
:11:36. > :11:42.violently ill. I drink to the point where I don't have a clue what I am
:11:42. > :11:48.doing. It is like the same, one is too many, 28 is not enough. --
:11:48. > :11:56.saying. I have won and that is it, and a flat cap. Do you want to stop,
:11:56. > :12:02.though? That is a tough question. No, I don't. I cannot imagine life
:12:02. > :12:07.without not at having a drink. Stopping the drink is harder than
:12:07. > :12:17.giving up heroin. I can swear down now, that is the truth because I
:12:17. > :12:18.
:12:18. > :12:21.I want to go home! Back on the streets of Bristol, and
:12:21. > :12:28.whilst these drinkers may not be alcoholics, there been shrinking
:12:28. > :12:32.will be harming them. I think there has probably been a slow change in
:12:32. > :12:38.the terms of people's own personal responsibility around the mud of
:12:38. > :12:45.alcohol they drink. There are a lot of people that get completely drunk,
:12:45. > :12:50.intoxicated, then find it difficult to look after themselves.
:12:50. > :12:54.Fairly obvious what has happened, the police have detained a guy he
:12:54. > :13:04.was pretty drunk, swearing, shouting. They want to detain him
:13:04. > :13:07.
:13:07. > :13:13.Perhaps a night in the cells will sober him up. He sounds and smells
:13:13. > :13:18.intoxicated. A bit of a heavy night. What happened? We had a bottle of
:13:18. > :13:25.wine before we came out, three bottles between us. Between how
:13:25. > :13:32.many? Just us two. I was sick in the toilet. I waited for an hour.
:13:32. > :13:42.My friend was waiting for me. often does that happen? Every
:13:42. > :13:42.
:13:42. > :13:47.It is Saturday night, it is just like a zoo down here. Everything is
:13:47. > :13:53.kicking a. I have seen so many drug people tonight, people shouting at
:13:53. > :13:59.us, -- drunk people. It is all down to alcohol. Why are some young
:13:59. > :14:09.people becoming such big drinkers? What has changed in the last 10
:14:09. > :14:10.
:14:10. > :14:14.Alcopops is obviously targeted to young drinkers. Introducing
:14:14. > :14:20.children to alcohol earlier, they get a liking for it and it becomes
:14:20. > :14:25.a cultural thing. And it is cheap as well. Go into any supermarket
:14:25. > :14:33.and you will be bombarded with deals, savings and promotions.
:14:33. > :14:35.is cheaper than a water. It is killing me because I can afford it.
:14:35. > :14:41.They would -- the addiction recovery agency says the government
:14:41. > :14:45.must act now. The cheaper it is, the more people drink and the more
:14:45. > :14:51.problems we have. Clearly, restricting availability. Clearly,
:14:51. > :14:57.increasing the price will have a direct impact on the consumption
:14:57. > :15:03.and therefore be problems. Up a whole has clearly become ingrained
:15:03. > :15:08.in our culture to be. Where 80 do not drink you are regarded as a bit
:15:08. > :15:15.odd. The peer pressure at my local party is tough but I am still on
:15:16. > :15:21.the lime and soda. The first of a raft of Christmas parties and this
:15:21. > :15:27.was at a local Christmas party. I have gone to some evening functions
:15:27. > :15:35.and I think it is going to be where a lot of alcohol is drunk and I
:15:35. > :15:41.will be severely ribs. It should be fascinating. Come Christmas Day, I
:15:41. > :15:47.have had enough and so has my partner. But I cannot help thinking
:15:47. > :15:54.how hard today must be for Luke. Imagine going to a birthday party
:15:55. > :15:59.or Christmas. New year's day. I did really wants to stop at the minute.
:15:59. > :16:04.But I want to cut down. I cannot live like this, waking up in the
:16:04. > :16:11.morning and shaking like a leaf. It is not good. It is not a way to
:16:11. > :16:15.live. My dry December is almost finished. Just a matter of hours
:16:15. > :16:21.left until New year's Eve. I am proud to say I have not touched a
:16:21. > :16:26.drop. But has it made any difference to my blood pressure?
:16:26. > :16:32.Last time it was normal and this is quite a bit lower. About 15 % less.
:16:33. > :16:38.That might be significant. I have got lower blood pressure. I suspect
:16:38. > :16:44.that is related to a month off the alcohol. Lower blood pressure,
:16:44. > :16:50.which is good. A slight increase in weight. It is Christmas. Any advice
:16:50. > :16:55.you can give me for alcohol consumption in 2012 was bark you
:16:55. > :17:02.are in a high risk --?. You are in a high risk profession but your
:17:02. > :17:05.blood tests are fine. You stay in the guidelines. You have mentioned
:17:05. > :17:13.difficulty finding something else to do instead of drinking a glass
:17:13. > :17:20.of wine. Find an activity. Reach for an apple instead. Maybe a quick
:17:20. > :17:24.computer game. Thank you, doctor. Congratulations. It is New year's
:17:24. > :17:29.Eve and it is the end of a long month. Dry December is about to
:17:29. > :17:34.finish. In six minutes I am going to be drinking alcohol. For me it
:17:34. > :17:39.has been an interesting experiment and it has been an eye-opener. But
:17:39. > :17:48.for some people, giving up alcohol is actually a matter of life or
:17:48. > :17:58.death. I am lucky. I can carry on enjoying a drink, in moderation.
:17:58. > :17:58.
:17:58. > :18:02.What a way to start the new year. And later this week, there's a
:18:02. > :18:07.documentary charting 100 years of boozing on BBC Four. It's called
:18:07. > :18:17.Timeshift - The Rules of Drinking. It is on at 9 o'clock on Wednesday
:18:17. > :18:17.
:18:18. > :18:22.If you'd like details of organisations which can offer
:18:22. > :18:32.advice and support on alcohol advice and support on alcohol
:18:32. > :18:47.
:18:47. > :18:56.Next, a conservation success story that's got some anglers hot under
:18:56. > :18:59.the collar. The West Country's otters are doing rather well, but
:18:59. > :19:09.that's bad news for some angling clubs who say the otters are eating
:19:09. > :19:14.
:19:14. > :19:18.This beautiful creature is blissfully unaware of the almighty
:19:18. > :19:21.row he is causing. When the Environment Agency recently
:19:21. > :19:25.announced that otters were back in every county in England, not
:19:25. > :19:33.everyone applauded. In fact, there are some pretty angry anglers out
:19:34. > :19:39.there. When the fish has gone, what will it keep? It will eat the water
:19:39. > :19:43.bolts. It will be a complete caricature to suggest that the fish
:19:43. > :19:53.populations are under threat because the natural predator is
:19:53. > :19:55.
:19:55. > :20:00.back in the environment. It is I love this valley. I have been
:20:00. > :20:04.coming here for 70 years. It is one of the most beautiful valleys in
:20:04. > :20:07.England. Richard Patrick has been fishing for Barbel on this
:20:07. > :20:12.wonderful stretch of the Bristol Avon in Bathampton since he was a
:20:12. > :20:18.boy. I am at peace with the wildlife. But something is
:20:19. > :20:22.disturbing his peace of mind. used to be in the top five at
:20:22. > :20:29.barbel rivers in the country but it would not be anywhere near that now.
:20:29. > :20:34.I am not catching anywhere near as much. What is causing the downturn?
:20:34. > :20:43.The fishing stock has been decimated, not just the barbel. The
:20:43. > :20:47.chub, Reg. They are predators, B otters. They will eat anything.
:20:47. > :20:53.Beautiful creatures. It is magnificent to see them out there.
:20:53. > :20:59.But there are too many of them. could otters really be that
:20:59. > :21:04.widespread already? After all, they almost disappeared right across the
:21:04. > :21:08.country 50 years ago, the culprit was pesticides in the rivers.
:21:08. > :21:13.accumulate in the tissues of top predators and they did with otters
:21:13. > :21:21.and birds of prey. That wiped them out across much of the UK. In a
:21:21. > :21:24.short space of time. Are they more numerous now? A lot more.
:21:24. > :21:28.Pesticides were successfully removed over a period of time.
:21:28. > :21:33.Populations have responded and they have recovered and food supplies
:21:33. > :21:37.have become less contaminated. They have colonised again. This recovery
:21:37. > :21:43.will inevitably have some impact on fishing. And some anglers feel that
:21:43. > :21:45.their concerns are not being taken seriously. In fact, there are fears
:21:46. > :21:51.that a small number may even be shooting this highly protected
:21:51. > :21:58.species. We understand we have got a legal killing of otters taking
:21:58. > :22:02.place. This might be the tip of the iceberg. Where you get predator's
:22:02. > :22:07.conflicting with personal interests of people, people will take the law
:22:07. > :22:11.into their own hands. We completely condemn that. We think it is
:22:11. > :22:13.irresponsible but we understand it happens. The killing of otters is
:22:13. > :22:16.condemned by responsible anglers. Martin Bowler from Chippenham is
:22:16. > :22:23.one of the country's top professionals. But he does point
:22:23. > :22:27.out that feelings are running very high within his community. There
:22:28. > :22:32.have been calls for quite radical action. We have even had rumours of
:22:32. > :22:36.people taking the law into their hands and getting guns out. What
:22:36. > :22:44.should be done? I think we need to understand desperate people.
:22:44. > :22:49.Livelihoods are going. That is not right. I am not calling for Carling.
:22:49. > :22:54.That would be the worst public relations possible. -- killing. It
:22:54. > :22:57.is just desperate. I would say the community is scared and I would
:22:57. > :23:01.pick it would be fair to say that they would be fairly split because
:23:01. > :23:04.they do not understand the right way forward. Martin believes that
:23:04. > :23:10.the otter's recovery has not been a natural one and that they have been
:23:10. > :23:12."put back" into our rivers. Also, that otters being released from
:23:12. > :23:18.wildlife sanctuaries are throwing the delicate eco-system on the
:23:18. > :23:25.rivers out of balance. As far as I understood the indigenous species,
:23:25. > :23:31.they should have a massive area. I should not be able to see five or
:23:31. > :23:37.six swimming up the river together. I think somebody has opened a door
:23:37. > :23:39.somewhere. It does not stack up but nobody would admit that. So is
:23:39. > :23:43.there any truth in the rumour that wildlife sanctuaries are breeding
:23:43. > :23:46.otters and releasing them into the rivers? I've come to the Secret
:23:46. > :23:56.World Wildlife Rescue centre, near Burnham- on-Sea in Somerset to find
:23:56. > :23:56.
:23:56. > :24:02.What is his name? Otto. He has been with us since about 400 grams. Very
:24:02. > :24:10.tiny. How did he end up here? came from Lincolnshire,
:24:10. > :24:15.surprisingly. We saw two cards and they were concerned about them. We
:24:15. > :24:18.told them to leave them alone but he was buried tiny and the other
:24:18. > :24:28.one was very lethargic and we suggested that they did not pick it
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:36.up. Do you read otters? Certainly not. -- read. I understand of
:24:36. > :24:40.nobody that is doing that. It is just the ones that we pick up. It
:24:40. > :24:46.is often through a human intervention and actions where the
:24:46. > :24:53.mother gets killed. You are talking about 30 animals per year across
:24:53. > :24:56.But it's not just anglers on the river banks who are getting hot
:24:56. > :24:59.under the collar. For a still water fishery owner, otters could be bad
:24:59. > :25:09.for business. Some of Richard's specimen carp are worth around
:25:09. > :25:09.
:25:09. > :25:13.�1000 each. We had a couple of killings on site. I had a problem
:25:14. > :25:19.in the fishery where it turned out that they had been released from an
:25:19. > :25:24.RSPCA centre. This was a big animal. More than 3 ft in length. I pick it
:25:24. > :25:31.was released to close to my fishery and without consultation with the
:25:31. > :25:34.authorised bodies. The RSPCA weren't able to comment on
:25:34. > :25:38.Richard's case but their guidelines say they should find a location for
:25:38. > :25:41.releasing otters which is the most suitable to enable their survival.
:25:41. > :25:46.Despite all the evidence, anglers need a lot more convincing that
:25:46. > :25:49.otters are recovering naturally. When we brought the Environment
:25:49. > :25:57.Agency's top otter expert to meet Martin Bowler, there was a "heated"
:25:57. > :26:03.You can categorically assure every angler that there has never been
:26:03. > :26:09.and never will be a cub put back that was not born in the wild? From
:26:09. > :26:13.any wildlife park in this country? I can assure you that there is no
:26:13. > :26:18.centre at the moment undertaking that work to my knowledge. No
:26:18. > :26:23.reason to do that. You cannot deny politicians are quick to come out,
:26:23. > :26:31.as soon as an otter has been found. It is a quick win it. They can say
:26:31. > :26:35.we have got the rivers back. That is good news and we have not got
:26:35. > :26:42.anything wrong with the government celebrating the fact that that has
:26:42. > :26:47.happened. What about the population on this river? It has been
:26:47. > :26:52.decimated by about 75 %. It has been taken out. Something is
:26:52. > :26:59.completely wrong. Many of the complaints that we get our, the
:26:59. > :27:06.rivers where we lost otters in the past 30 years. -- complaints. That
:27:06. > :27:11.could be through a number of factors. But we have got specimen
:27:11. > :27:16.fish not being a dominant part of the community. You love advertising
:27:16. > :27:23.in your manuals when you open them up. We do not want unhealthy
:27:23. > :27:32.fisheries. When the specimens have gone, what will it eat? It will eat
:27:32. > :27:42.the water boiled. It will take this and dad. This is an Armageddon view
:27:42. > :27:46.of the weather system. -- river It's clear this is an argument
:27:46. > :27:49.that's not going to be resolved just yet It's the end of the day's
:27:49. > :27:51.fishing and Richard didn't catch a thing, but then he didn't spot an
:27:51. > :27:57.otter either. Whatever the true reason for the barbell's decline,
:27:57. > :28:02.he says fishing here just isn't what it used to be. I still love it
:28:02. > :28:11.and I still come here even though I catch nothing. But I think it is
:28:11. > :28:16.different in a place like this. And if there's something you'd like
:28:16. > :28:25.us to investigate then why not get in touch? You can find us on
:28:25. > :28:33.Next week, a flurry of planning applications to create new village
:28:33. > :28:38.greens. How much is it costing our local councils? Plus, cuts to
:28:38. > :28:40.housing benefits and how they could force some people to move house.