Very sad listening to that podcast, he still seemed a happy and positive chap.

Him talking about his fluid retention reminded me about a chap I knew who supported Stourbridge FC who I got chatting to three seasons ago at an away game.

He liked a bottle or two of wine at night and then suddenly, out of nowhere and with no other prior warnings his stomach started to swell.

He went to the doctor thinking it was a dietary issue and they did blood tests and the scan and found his liver was already at a critical stage of scirociss.

He told me that the liver is an amazing organ and that it will soak up massive punishment and carry on seeming to work as normal for a long time with alcohol but then suddenly….BANG…..it starts to fail but because it carries on seemingly as normal for so long, when it does fail it’s actually down to 10-20% of its true capability.

He was 50 when he had this sudden collapse and was dead within two years.

My wife had an ex boyfriend who was exactly the same, we saw him in his early 50’s when everything seemed normal with him and 18 months later he was in hospital at deaths door with renal failure.

I think the problem in this country with the wine drinking is that a lot of people use it as the “I just need a couple to unwind in an evening”……actually you don’t, you need it because you need it because you’re so used to it that your body is craving it.

Same with smoking, you don’t need one to calm your nerves, you need one because you’re in nicotine deficiency and dependency.

It’s amazing how we as rational adults convince ourselves about this stuff.

I’m no different, by 8.30pm each night the devil on my shoulder is telling me I deserve that big pack of Maltesers so I duly go and treat myself.

Wiping out the exercise I’ve done that afternoon and adding cholesterol to my arteries and fat to my liver.

I know it’s stupid and I know I shouldn’t do it but I do.

Chocolate in an evening is my weakness and it’s doing me no good but at least I’m honest with myself and everyone else, most drinkers are not.

In this country we like to kid ourselves that we’ve become European, we have a “glass” with a meal etc, etc.

My experience of Europeans is different, the ones I’ve met don’t reach for the bottle and pour a large one as soon as they get home and then finish the last half of the bottle before bedtime as it’s a “shame to waste it”.

I’ve had a blood test to check my liver function and I’m a bit borderline on certain markers so I am now trying to be a bit more careful, I’ve also had a scan through my GP.

All I will say to my friends on here who do like a drink and drink daily or on most days is to get yourself a blood test to check liver fat and function.

It’s such a brilliant bodily organ it’s best to know that you’re within a normal range on your markers and don’t go past the point of no return.

Hammy’s podcast is very stark and a real wake up call.