It may be that after a Christmas and New Year of excess, you’ve forsworn alcohol for good. Let’s say, though, that you haven’t. The government is considering introducing a minimum cost per unit of alcohol in a bid to curb anti-social drinking, and improve the nation’s health. The drawbacks involved are obvious. The teenagers who drink grossly to excess on a Friday or Saturday night would still do so – they would ‘pre-load’ and carry on regardless , or worse still, turn to illegal drugs which are often cheaper already. The wealthy would be unaffected; the drinks they buy will be far above the minimum price in any case and they are unlikely to be deterred from a trip to the wine-merchant. Those most affected would be people on limited incomes who simply want to enjoy a drink. Hitting law-abiding citizens who like a glass of wine with their evening meal doesn’t sound like a smart idea. If the purpose is to cut the cost of drinking to the NHS, ministers should remember that beer, wines and spirits are heavily taxed and the Exchequer pockets a tidy sum which is channelled into healthcare. Another idea being floated is banning multi buy discounts. It would ban a supermarket or off-licence from offering 25% off six bottles of your favourite sauvignon. Whether this interference in the way a private company markets legitimate products is legal, we do not know. The drinks industry is already taking legal action against the Scottish Government over this. The Government could, of course try treating people like grown–ups; after all, it’s got more important things to deal with.