My cousin, a lovely man, was an alcoholic. His marriage was a rocky one because of it. One day as his children were walking home from school, someone made a remark about the drunk on the roadside.

:Don't worry about it, " his daughter said. "That's my dad. He's always drunk."

His wife relayed this to him.

He never touched another drop, sold up, relocated to Ireland, set up a business and totally turned his life around.

Sadly, when he was driving home on a winter's night, his car skidded on black ice and he was killed. I don't know when I ever felt so sad.