Celibate for Lent?

I don't know about anyone else but I'm starting to get confused about what I should and shouldn't be doing each month. In January I'm urged to stay dry and become Vegan, in October I have to stay sober and in November I have to grow a moustache. The problem for me is I love eating meat and cheese, I enjoy a beer and there is as much chance of me growing facial hair and looking like Magnum P.I or Dick Strawbridge as there is of winning the lottery. In fact things could only get worse, if someone announces a Let's Go Celibate for Lent campaign (Celibent).

I'm no health expert and it's not for me to speculate on the pros and cons of eating a plant based diet or stopping drinking alcohol for a month or two, but I suspect if I dug around the Internet I'd see compelling arguments for both sides of the debate. I'm never convinced by the all or nothing nature of these 'persevere' for a month campaigns, I've always taken the view, everything in moderation, and if you are making lifestyle changes these are more likely to stick with a gradual transition. Of course lifestyle changes aren't just about stopping something, but also trying something new. A little bit of what you fancy does you good, to me life is too short to abstain from the things that you enjoy.

At Christmas it's great to see so many people visiting their local pubs, although for the annual festive pub visitor (you can spot 'em a mile off, as they go into a mild panic when faced with the tricky "what would you like to drink" question),  the choice facing them can be a challenge. No longer can you just ask for a Gin & Tonic or a glass of wine and in this golden age for real ales you are just spoilt for choice; hoppy,  malty, light, dark or a kaleidoscope of colours and flavours in between. But here is the opportunity for all of us, rather than dry January why not 'educate your palette' and try something different not only in January (Tryanuary) but throughout 2020. Explore the new and exciting Gin flavours mixed with some exotic tonics, try a different grape variety for your wine and if you fancy a change from your light hoppy beer, why not ask for a taster of a winter warmer real Ale - try before you buy, you'd never get away with that in the supermarket!

Pubs also play a significant part in building and sustaining our communities. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have launched a Make Friends at the Pub campaign highlighting the key role pubs play within our communities in helping tackle the issues of loneliness, which can have such a devastating impact on people's lives and mental health. If not in the pub, where else can you catch up with your neighbours and friends, meet new friends and get up to speed with the local news events and gossip. Sometimes though you just want to have that 'me time' to sit and relax with a drink, in front of a roaring log fire, book reading your book or newspaper.

The pub plays an important part in helping bring a community together. The problem is that if we only support our pubs for 10 months a year it's not a sustainable business model and we will continue to see more pubs closing, leaving a massive vacuum in our communities. So don't be that annual pub visitor, or the person that stops visiting the pub 2 months of the year. if you are going to make a lifestyle change make it something positive and sustainable, take up the challenge of trying something different and at the same time know that you are supporting your local community hub. If that doesn't give you a warm glow for 2020 I'm not sure what will.

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