"Parents are to be given guidance in the New Year for the first time as to how much alcohol their children can drink safely from the ages of five to 18. The government is also reviewing whether the current age at which it is legal to drink should remain at five. The move has been criticised by parents' leaders who worry that any guidelines will encourage children to push the boundaries beyond them." - Independent
"Four out of five drivers suspect they may have driven while over the alcohol limit the morning after a night of drinking, according to an AA survey. More than 11,000 AA members took part in the online Populus poll, which also indicated that nearly half of all motorists know someone who drinks and drives. While evening drink-driving convictions have decreased over the last decade, the AA said, morning convictions were increasing." - Guardian
"Cutting down on booze has sunk low on the list of men's New Year resolutions. Just nine per cent told a survey they would stop drinking so much in 2009. The poll, by The Rough Guide to Men's Health, found that 18 to 24-year-olds were the least likely to cut down. Health minister Dawn Primarolo advised: 'New Year is a good opportunity to take stock. Reconsider your habits and resolve to stay within the recommended limits.'" - Daily Mirror
"David Einhorn, the hedge fund manager and Punch Taverns' biggest shareholder, has reduced his stake in the pub operator by more than a third, from about 12 per cent to 7.4 per cent, reversing a strategy of stock accumulation. Einhorn has become best known for short selling Lehman Brothers." - Financial Times
"A German family's Christmas celebrations were ruined when a drunk father killed himself while playing Russian roulette in front of them. Ulrich Schmidt, a 52-year-old forestry worker from Cologne, drank too much schnapps at his family's holiday celebrations, police said. After lunch, in a bid to entertain his family, he pulled out a revolver and as his horrified wife and children looked on, Schmidt told his children he was going to play Russian roulette. He died from a single gunshot to his head." - Daily Telegraph