Thank you for visiting my page. Please give what you can and I'll top up £500 if we hit the target for this great charity. 

For more about the work that Mind do, please visit here: https://www.mind.org.uk/ 

Those who know me well enough know that I'm partial to a few jars. In fact the longest I've ever not drunk for since about 16 y/o was in 2013 when I did Dry January for Cancer Research. Other than that it's most days of the week in some form or another. It's always fun to socialise with friends in the pub and of course lose the stresses of running various businesses. 

Sadly there's always a darker side to boozing for many people, which is why I've decided to link giving up the booze with raising money (and awareness) for Mind - The Mental Health Charity. 

Here's a snippet from Drinkaware about alcohol and mental health:

Alcohol alters your brain chemistry

Our brains rely on a delicate balance of chemicals and processes. Alcohol is a depressant, which means it can disrupt that balance, affecting our thoughts, feelings and actions – and sometimes our long-term mental health. This is partly down to ‘neurotransmitters’, chemicals that help to transmit signals from one nerve (or neuron) in the brain to another.

The relaxed feeling you can get when you have that first drink is due to the chemical changes alcohol has caused in your brain. For many of us, a drink can help us feel more confident and less anxious. That’s because it’s starting to depress the part of the brain we associate with inhibition.

But, as you drink more, more of the brain starts to be affected. It doesn’t matter what mood you’re in to start with, when high levels of alcohol are involved, instead of pleasurable effects increasing, it’s possible that a negative emotional response will take over. Alcohol can be linked to aggression you could become angry, aggressive, anxious or depressed.

See here for the rest of the article: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-and-mental-health/ 

So, please give what you can. I'll keep the updates going throughout the 3 months.