09/01/2012 Inside Out West


09/01/2012

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The Christmas parties are Rover, behind their peers have just about

:00:05.:00:11.

one-off, but now we are being told we should you drink so much -- the

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hangovers. Tonight, how Bristol's revellers have been stretching

:00:17.:00:23.

public services to the limit. want to go home!

:00:23.:00:28.

Wildlife presenter Mike Dilger takes his own Dry December

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Challenge, a month of festive merriment without alcohol. I have

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not had a month without alcohol since the age of slightly less than

:00:36.:00:41.

18. I have no idea what I expect, it could be tough, could be quite

:00:41.:00:48.

easy. To is the West Country's otters

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population getting out of control? Angry anglers say they are eating

:00:52.:01:00.

too many fish. When the specimen fish have gone, what will it lead?

:01:00.:01:10.
:01:10.:01:11.

He will attack things. It is that time of year when many

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of us decide to give up alcohol to allow our bodies to recover from

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the over indulgences of Christmas. Television naturalist Mike Dilger

:01:21.:01:26.

is one step ahead of the game. We challenged him to go without

:01:26.:01:31.

alcohol for the most sociable month of the year, and to explore how

:01:31.:01:41.
:01:41.:01:44.

alcohol abuse is stretching public It is 20th November, which is why I

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am making this a large one. In today's I am heading for a mother

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of sobriety, no alcohol will touch my lips in the month of December.

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The government reckons 10 million of us are drinking too much. Our

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health is suffering. I got wrecked tonight and I was sick everywhere.

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Any idea how many units you have had? Probably about 20. I can't

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live like this, waking up in the morning shaking like a leaf. Will I

:02:15.:02:18.

find it easy to break my own habits? Sunday lunch without a

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glass of red? Cheers. I have worked out how much I have been drinking.

:02:26.:02:36.
:02:36.:02:39.

I reckon five for six nights a week. Really? Yes. I didn't know you

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drunk that much. I have two bottles of wine each week, and five or six

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pints. It is young people the medics are

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particularly worried about. We are getting young people in who

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really, if they don't sort out their drinking and stop drinking

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now, will probably not survive. we all need to watch our drinking?

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Before I start my Dry December I am getting check out by a Bristol GP.

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On an average week, how many units do you drink? Probably five or six

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nights a week, I would say probably a couple of bottles of wine, and

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five or six pints of beer. bottles of wine, �5, about 30 units.

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Government guidelines say 21, up to 20 units for men, for women,

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significantly less. He then runs be through a tough questionnaire on my

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drinking habits. The audits court is seven. A total of over five,

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increased -- indicate a high risk drinker. The red light is on the

:03:53.:04:03.
:04:03.:04:03.

dashboard. Let's put you on the scales. 82 kilos. With your shoes

:04:03.:04:13.
:04:13.:04:16.

off. 120 over 76, I would say. Pretty good. Am pleased with that.

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There has been that little warning. Maybe a month off will do me good.

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Very good luck with that. We shall meet again in a month's time and

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repeat all this and we will see what, if any different, there is.

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am not the only presenter who is giving up alcohol this Christmas.

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Luckily, 11 others, one from every BBC broadcast region, are joining

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me on this crusade. It is November 30th, so tonight is our last night

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on the source. Gentlemen, I have to say, I have not had a month without

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alcohol since the age of slightly less than 18. I have no idea what I

:04:57.:05:01.

am expecting. Bigger be carnage, could be tough, to be quite easy. -

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- it could be. Weight loss, an inevitability. That is good. We are

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going to meet up for a lime and soda in the middle of December,

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looking forward to it. We are when away. We were about to sober up

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fast, because joining us tonight is a forensic photographer who can

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project what we will look like in 10 years, if we carry on drinking

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at the same rate. Stand-up comedian Toby Foster is a presenter for

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Radio Sheffield. He admits he puts a few away. Faced with an

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impression of himself after 10 years drinking, he is shocked.

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is not me! That is a Jim Henson character. He is dead. And then it

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is my turn. Surely it cannot be that bad. Alec Alex Curran that

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come with a street. I also look about 57, a lot more than I am now,

:06:07.:06:17.
:06:17.:06:18.

for the record. A lot of sagging, filling out, a lot of drop. Alcohol

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accelerates the ageing process so everything will start to drop

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quicker than it would do if you were not drinking so much but you

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have a bit of weight gain from the calories in alcohol. We have a one

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hour left to drown our sorrows and by closing time, we are very merry.

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Is it in appropriate after about five pts to say I love you? I love

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you too. I think I love you more. Happy Christmas.

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I haven't drunk that much in a long time. But after all, I am giving it

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all up for a whole month. It is 3rd December. I am three days into my

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Dry December challenge. The first two days, police with it. Not

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having alcohol this month, telling everybody. Feeling good about

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myself. Saturday evening, watching X-factor, I'm not sitting he would

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you without a large glass of red wine, it feels quite peculiar. It

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is the Saturday before Christmas in Bristol city centre. The police

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have their hands full dealing with drunken revellers. I, of course,

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and stone-cold sober but I want to find out how much people drink on

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an average weekend night. When you start coming up and drinking?

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don't know. What is your favourite drink? Jager master. Any idea how

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many units? No. What are you drinking tonight? Ford Kirk, wind,

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whatever I can get my hands on -- Any idea how much units you have

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had? About 20. Do you know the recommended limit for women for a

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week? No. 14. A I am probably gone. It is not just the youngster's

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exceeding the limits. Five pints of Stella, I expect. I couldn't drink

:08:24.:08:32.

five pints of Stella. You know what they call that, don't you? Most

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drinkers could probably cut down if they chose to. But those who become

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addicted will need professional help. I have come to meet staff

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Noble who runs a rehab centre in Weston-super-Mare. One of the

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biggest changes I have seen has been the amount of damage and

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particularly liver damage we are seeing in relatively young people,

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particularly when huge quantities of alcohol are being consumed at

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the age is coming further down, younger and younger people are

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drinking more and more of golf, and we are seeing the effects of that.

:09:07.:09:13.

Today I am also meeting Kate and Kieran, both recovering alcoholics

:09:13.:09:21.

who have been treated at Broadway Lodge. Kieran is only 31. Drinking

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started when there was about 13 years old. With my friends, after

:09:24.:09:29.

school, hanging about, it getting someone to buy us a drink and

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drinking in the park. I would wake up and I would be shaking,

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borderline fitting. Really ill. My doctor committee p, told me he was

:09:42.:09:51.

keeping the a life. -- keeping me alive. Last Christmas you're in a

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bad way, how will you be this Christmas? Spending it with my

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family. They will be able to trust me and I will be able to enjoy it

:09:59.:10:02.

and remember it. Kate was a respectable teacher in her late

:10:02.:10:08.

forties when she became addicted to alcohol. At my worst, this was not

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know was teaching, I would drink three bottles of wine in a day. It

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affected my eating patterns, I didn't eat much. It affected my

:10:18.:10:23.

sleep. I couldn't sleep and divided sleep it was a fitful sleep which

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gave me no comfort or release. It affected me at the level of having

:10:31.:10:37.

physical shakes. It affected my whole mental co-ordination. What

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has this place done for you? It was an escape. I will be honest and say

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that. It was a haven of peace, tranquillity. That is my perception.

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At the Bristol and North Somerset addiction recovery agency and

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meeting up with 32-year-old Luke, still very much in the grip of

:11:00.:11:07.

alcoholism. You have had a couple of gigs today? Yes. Why was that?

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was shaking like a leaf. -- couple of drinks. I can't function if I

:11:13.:11:22.

don't have a drink. How much are you drinking at the moment? 10 cans

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of cider, 7.5%. What happens if you don't have any alcohol at all?

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violently ill. I drink to the point where I don't have a clue what I am

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doing. It is like the same, one is too many, 28 is not enough. --

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saying. I have won and that is it, and a flat cap. Do you want to stop,

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though? That is a tough question. No, I don't. I cannot imagine life

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without not at having a drink. Stopping the drink is harder than

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giving up heroin. I can swear down now, that is the truth because I

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:12:17.:12:18.

I want to go home! Back on the streets of Bristol, and

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whilst these drinkers may not be alcoholics, there been shrinking

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will be harming them. I think there has probably been a slow change in

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the terms of people's own personal responsibility around the mud of

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alcohol they drink. There are a lot of people that get completely drunk,

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intoxicated, then find it difficult to look after themselves.

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Fairly obvious what has happened, the police have detained a guy he

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was pretty drunk, swearing, shouting. They want to detain him

:12:54.:13:04.
:13:04.:13:07.

Perhaps a night in the cells will sober him up. He sounds and smells

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intoxicated. A bit of a heavy night. What happened? We had a bottle of

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wine before we came out, three bottles between us. Between how

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many? Just us two. I was sick in the toilet. I waited for an hour.

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My friend was waiting for me. often does that happen? Every

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:13:42.:13:42.

It is Saturday night, it is just like a zoo down here. Everything is

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kicking a. I have seen so many drug people tonight, people shouting at

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us, -- drunk people. It is all down to alcohol. Why are some young

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people becoming such big drinkers? What has changed in the last 10

:13:59.:14:09.
:14:09.:14:10.

Alcopops is obviously targeted to young drinkers. Introducing

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children to alcohol earlier, they get a liking for it and it becomes

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a cultural thing. And it is cheap as well. Go into any supermarket

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and you will be bombarded with deals, savings and promotions.

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is cheaper than a water. It is killing me because I can afford it.

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They would -- the addiction recovery agency says the government

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must act now. The cheaper it is, the more people drink and the more

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problems we have. Clearly, restricting availability. Clearly,

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increasing the price will have a direct impact on the consumption

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and therefore be problems. Up a whole has clearly become ingrained

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in our culture to be. Where 80 do not drink you are regarded as a bit

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odd. The peer pressure at my local party is tough but I am still on

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the lime and soda. The first of a raft of Christmas parties and this

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was at a local Christmas party. I have gone to some evening functions

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and I think it is going to be where a lot of alcohol is drunk and I

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will be severely ribs. It should be fascinating. Come Christmas Day, I

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have had enough and so has my partner. But I cannot help thinking

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how hard today must be for Luke. Imagine going to a birthday party

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or Christmas. New year's day. I did really wants to stop at the minute.

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But I want to cut down. I cannot live like this, waking up in the

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morning and shaking like a leaf. It is not good. It is not a way to

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live. My dry December is almost finished. Just a matter of hours

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left until New year's Eve. I am proud to say I have not touched a

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drop. But has it made any difference to my blood pressure?

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Last time it was normal and this is quite a bit lower. About 15 % less.

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That might be significant. I have got lower blood pressure. I suspect

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that is related to a month off the alcohol. Lower blood pressure,

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which is good. A slight increase in weight. It is Christmas. Any advice

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you can give me for alcohol consumption in 2012 was bark you

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are in a high risk --?. You are in a high risk profession but your

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blood tests are fine. You stay in the guidelines. You have mentioned

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difficulty finding something else to do instead of drinking a glass

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of wine. Find an activity. Reach for an apple instead. Maybe a quick

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computer game. Thank you, doctor. Congratulations. It is New year's

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Eve and it is the end of a long month. Dry December is about to

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finish. In six minutes I am going to be drinking alcohol. For me it

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has been an interesting experiment and it has been an eye-opener. But

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for some people, giving up alcohol is actually a matter of life or

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death. I am lucky. I can carry on enjoying a drink, in moderation.

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:17:58.:17:58.

What a way to start the new year. And later this week, there's a

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documentary charting 100 years of boozing on BBC Four. It's called

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Timeshift - The Rules of Drinking. It is on at 9 o'clock on Wednesday

:18:07.:18:17.
:18:17.:18:17.

If you'd like details of organisations which can offer

:18:18.:18:22.

advice and support on alcohol advice and support on alcohol

:18:22.:18:32.
:18:32.:18:47.

Next, a conservation success story that's got some anglers hot under

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the collar. The West Country's otters are doing rather well, but

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that's bad news for some angling clubs who say the otters are eating

:18:59.:19:09.
:19:09.:19:14.

This beautiful creature is blissfully unaware of the almighty

:19:14.:19:18.

row he is causing. When the Environment Agency recently

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announced that otters were back in every county in England, not

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everyone applauded. In fact, there are some pretty angry anglers out

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there. When the fish has gone, what will it keep? It will eat the water

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bolts. It will be a complete caricature to suggest that the fish

:19:39.:19:43.

populations are under threat because the natural predator is

:19:43.:19:53.
:19:53.:19:55.

back in the environment. It is I love this valley. I have been

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coming here for 70 years. It is one of the most beautiful valleys in

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England. Richard Patrick has been fishing for Barbel on this

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wonderful stretch of the Bristol Avon in Bathampton since he was a

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boy. I am at peace with the wildlife. But something is

:20:12.:20:18.

disturbing his peace of mind. used to be in the top five at

:20:19.:20:22.

barbel rivers in the country but it would not be anywhere near that now.

:20:22.:20:29.

I am not catching anywhere near as much. What is causing the downturn?

:20:29.:20:34.

The fishing stock has been decimated, not just the barbel. The

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chub, Reg. They are predators, B otters. They will eat anything.

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Beautiful creatures. It is magnificent to see them out there.

:20:47.:20:53.

But there are too many of them. could otters really be that

:20:53.:20:59.

widespread already? After all, they almost disappeared right across the

:20:59.:21:04.

country 50 years ago, the culprit was pesticides in the rivers.

:21:04.:21:08.

accumulate in the tissues of top predators and they did with otters

:21:08.:21:13.

and birds of prey. That wiped them out across much of the UK. In a

:21:13.:21:21.

short space of time. Are they more numerous now? A lot more.

:21:21.:21:24.

Pesticides were successfully removed over a period of time.

:21:24.:21:28.

Populations have responded and they have recovered and food supplies

:21:28.:21:33.

have become less contaminated. They have colonised again. This recovery

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will inevitably have some impact on fishing. And some anglers feel that

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their concerns are not being taken seriously. In fact, there are fears

:21:43.:21:45.

that a small number may even be shooting this highly protected

:21:46.:21:51.

species. We understand we have got a legal killing of otters taking

:21:51.:21:58.

place. This might be the tip of the iceberg. Where you get predator's

:21:58.:22:02.

conflicting with personal interests of people, people will take the law

:22:02.:22:07.

into their own hands. We completely condemn that. We think it is

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irresponsible but we understand it happens. The killing of otters is

:22:11.:22:13.

condemned by responsible anglers. Martin Bowler from Chippenham is

:22:13.:22:16.

one of the country's top professionals. But he does point

:22:16.:22:23.

out that feelings are running very high within his community. There

:22:23.:22:27.

have been calls for quite radical action. We have even had rumours of

:22:28.:22:32.

people taking the law into their hands and getting guns out. What

:22:32.:22:36.

should be done? I think we need to understand desperate people.

:22:36.:22:44.

Livelihoods are going. That is not right. I am not calling for Carling.

:22:44.:22:49.

That would be the worst public relations possible. -- killing. It

:22:49.:22:54.

is just desperate. I would say the community is scared and I would

:22:54.:22:57.

pick it would be fair to say that they would be fairly split because

:22:57.:23:01.

they do not understand the right way forward. Martin believes that

:23:01.:23:04.

the otter's recovery has not been a natural one and that they have been

:23:04.:23:10.

"put back" into our rivers. Also, that otters being released from

:23:10.:23:12.

wildlife sanctuaries are throwing the delicate eco-system on the

:23:12.:23:18.

rivers out of balance. As far as I understood the indigenous species,

:23:18.:23:25.

they should have a massive area. I should not be able to see five or

:23:25.:23:31.

six swimming up the river together. I think somebody has opened a door

:23:31.:23:37.

somewhere. It does not stack up but nobody would admit that. So is

:23:37.:23:39.

there any truth in the rumour that wildlife sanctuaries are breeding

:23:39.:23:43.

otters and releasing them into the rivers? I've come to the Secret

:23:43.:23:46.

World Wildlife Rescue centre, near Burnham- on-Sea in Somerset to find

:23:46.:23:56.
:23:56.:23:56.

What is his name? Otto. He has been with us since about 400 grams. Very

:23:56.:24:02.

tiny. How did he end up here? came from Lincolnshire,

:24:02.:24:10.

surprisingly. We saw two cards and they were concerned about them. We

:24:10.:24:15.

told them to leave them alone but he was buried tiny and the other

:24:15.:24:18.

one was very lethargic and we suggested that they did not pick it

:24:18.:24:28.
:24:28.:24:30.

up. Do you read otters? Certainly not. -- read. I understand of

:24:30.:24:36.

nobody that is doing that. It is just the ones that we pick up. It

:24:36.:24:40.

is often through a human intervention and actions where the

:24:40.:24:46.

mother gets killed. You are talking about 30 animals per year across

:24:46.:24:53.

But it's not just anglers on the river banks who are getting hot

:24:53.:24:56.

under the collar. For a still water fishery owner, otters could be bad

:24:56.:24:59.

for business. Some of Richard's specimen carp are worth around

:24:59.:25:09.
:25:09.:25:09.

�1000 each. We had a couple of killings on site. I had a problem

:25:09.:25:13.

in the fishery where it turned out that they had been released from an

:25:14.:25:19.

RSPCA centre. This was a big animal. More than 3 ft in length. I pick it

:25:19.:25:24.

was released to close to my fishery and without consultation with the

:25:24.:25:31.

authorised bodies. The RSPCA weren't able to comment on

:25:31.:25:34.

Richard's case but their guidelines say they should find a location for

:25:34.:25:38.

releasing otters which is the most suitable to enable their survival.

:25:38.:25:41.

Despite all the evidence, anglers need a lot more convincing that

:25:41.:25:46.

otters are recovering naturally. When we brought the Environment

:25:46.:25:49.

Agency's top otter expert to meet Martin Bowler, there was a "heated"

:25:49.:25:57.

You can categorically assure every angler that there has never been

:25:57.:26:03.

and never will be a cub put back that was not born in the wild? From

:26:03.:26:09.

any wildlife park in this country? I can assure you that there is no

:26:09.:26:13.

centre at the moment undertaking that work to my knowledge. No

:26:13.:26:18.

reason to do that. You cannot deny politicians are quick to come out,

:26:18.:26:23.

as soon as an otter has been found. It is a quick win it. They can say

:26:23.:26:31.

we have got the rivers back. That is good news and we have not got

:26:31.:26:35.

anything wrong with the government celebrating the fact that that has

:26:35.:26:42.

happened. What about the population on this river? It has been

:26:42.:26:47.

decimated by about 75 %. It has been taken out. Something is

:26:47.:26:52.

completely wrong. Many of the complaints that we get our, the

:26:52.:26:59.

rivers where we lost otters in the past 30 years. -- complaints. That

:26:59.:27:06.

could be through a number of factors. But we have got specimen

:27:06.:27:11.

fish not being a dominant part of the community. You love advertising

:27:11.:27:16.

in your manuals when you open them up. We do not want unhealthy

:27:16.:27:23.

fisheries. When the specimens have gone, what will it eat? It will eat

:27:23.:27:32.

the water boiled. It will take this and dad. This is an Armageddon view

:27:32.:27:42.

of the weather system. -- river It's clear this is an argument

:27:42.:27:46.

that's not going to be resolved just yet It's the end of the day's

:27:46.:27:49.

fishing and Richard didn't catch a thing, but then he didn't spot an

:27:49.:27:51.

otter either. Whatever the true reason for the barbell's decline,

:27:51.:27:57.

he says fishing here just isn't what it used to be. I still love it

:27:57.:28:02.

and I still come here even though I catch nothing. But I think it is

:28:02.:28:11.

different in a place like this. And if there's something you'd like

:28:11.:28:16.

us to investigate then why not get in touch? You can find us on

:28:16.:28:25.

Next week, a flurry of planning applications to create new village

:28:25.:28:33.

greens. How much is it costing our local councils? Plus, cuts to

:28:33.:28:38.

housing benefits and how they could force some people to move house.

:28:38.:28:40.

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