It’s been the driest of Januaries for struggling pubs, according to reports today. As I come to the end of my 29th year of not drinking alcohol in January, this rings true for me.

Nearly everyone around me has been “dry” this past month. The inevitable knock-on effect of more people choosing to abstain from alcohol in January is that some pubs and restaurants, already struggling under the pressures of energy costs and rents, have been pushed to the brink. The drier trend is not going to go away. So, hospitality will have to change or die.

This isn’t going to be a preachy piece exhorting you to give up the booze. I’m really looking forward to my first glass of red this Thursday. Except that it will actually be on Friday. This year, for the........

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