But in the short term the only bright spots were America and in France, where a campaign to promote cognac as a long drink (with tonic, which is not, unlike soda water or ginger ale, really a natural accompaniment) raised sales for the second year running.
The Welsh forces have also joined together again for this year's month-long Christmas drink-drive campaign, which will particularly target young drivers.
BBC: Drink-driving: Cardiff, Swansea in top 10 problem areas
Alexander McQueen, another British maverick who made it big in the Parisian fashion world before committing suicide, also had a long history of drink and drug problems.
The inquest into the death of Mr Thompson, of Gorton, heard he had a long history of drink and drug abuse and had been addicted to crack cocaine and heroin.
O'Neill admitted to having an addictive personality, and had long suffered problems with drink and gambling.
And for everybody else, there are lost Maya ruins to explore, hammocks to test, coronas to drink and long-forgotten beaches to discover.
Police chiefs have also backed a month-long campaign targeting those who drink and drive over the festive season.
"Where it's extremely cold it's not uncommon for people to drink all day long, " said Val Smith, president of International Wine and Spirits, which provided the data on per-capita alcohol consumption.
My return trip was just as fraught as any drink arranged by long-lost lovers who are eager to discover how fat, wrinkled or rich the other has become and if, perhaps, some spark remains.
Numerous bars in Seville host flamenco on a regular basis and while the music and dancing in these places can be hit or miss, entry is free as long as you buy a drink.
Although whisky producers claim to detect the first signs of a revival, selling Scotch as the liquor to drink while playing pool or cruising the dance floor poses a risk to the drink's long-term status as an international symbol of success.
Long-distance lorry drivers who drink coffee have fewer road traffic accidents, research suggests.
For those who don't take their wine consumption as seriously as my friend, I can understand the reticence of spending hundreds of pounds on wine that needs, in some cases, as long as 10 years evolution to drink at its best.
It was a long, cold incentive for a strong drink at one of a record 14 inaugural balls later that evening.
The murder charge alleged that the heroin addict had abandoning her son for long periods of time without food or drink while she partied, drank and took drugs.
Later, the rule was relaxed, allowing the drink to be sold as long as it was not called absinthe, and instead labelled "a spirit made from extracts of the absinthe plant".
The nearest water cooler was a 10-minute walk away, and workers say the strict foreman didn't allow them a long enough break to stop and get a drink.
Yet with careful rationing of its stored energy, it should be possible to achieve the closest thing yet to perpetual manned flight with man being the limiting factor because of the need to carry food and drink, and to remain awake for long periods.
The billionaire has a long history of turning around struggling food-and-drink players.
Long before Activia came Yakult, a bioactive yogurt-like drink from Japan that is now available worldwide.
The focus on Milk Tray is just the latest in a long line of public anxiety over tweaks to other food and drink.
They are healthy and long-lived, they say, because they break bread and drink wine together.
One bill allows handguns in bars and restaurants, as long as the owner sanctions it and the gun carrier does not drink alcohol.
People who regularly drink above recommended guidelines are at much greater risk of developing long-term health problems, including liver disease and mouth, bowel and breast cancer, said Alcohol Concern.
Melanie Leech, director general of industry body the Food and Drink Federation, said the importance of the strategy was "long recognised" and it "marks an important milestone towards a joined-up approach across the food chain".
And while I have long since forgotten how to solve a differential equation, I did learn how to drink responsibly (no tequila shots on an empty stomach).
He offered them sodas, and they chatted about what they liked to drink Indy-Girl said she preferred beer and about how long the drive had taken.
The answer often determines whether we should drink a beer to relax or hop ourselves up on Red Bull, whether we take a long shower or stay late at the office.
Long after evidence emerged that over-hydrating could prove fatal to marathoners, experts continued encouraging runners to drink as much as possible leading to utterly preventable tragedies such as the death of a 43-year-old mother of three in the 1998 Chicago Marathon.
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