A full fortnight after the feasting, resolutions to eat and drink less should have matured nicely. Gyms will shortly be bursting at the seams with members whose festive gear has threatened to do the same. You may even decide to forswear booze altogether for a while - a step so radical that I guiltily confess I have never contemplated it, even for a day. But along comes balm for that guilt. In time to rescue thousands of wine drinkers vacillating on the verge of new year abstinence, a new book offers compelling evidence that regular, moderate drinking is much healthier than not drinking at all.
We've heard murmurs of this before, of course. It began with the French Paradox - the discovery that the population of southwest France had low rates of coronary heart disease despite a diet rich in animal fats - thanks, apparently, to a robust intake of wine.
Since then, many studies have suggested that alcohol in general, and red wine in particular, offer some protection against heart disease when consumed in modest quantities. What is interesting about To Your Good Health! The Wise Drinker's Guide by Dr Thomas Stuttaford is that it looks at the whole issue, from a much broader perspective, stretching beyond the recent past and beyond the human heart.
From 1960 to 1990 medical views on alcohol hardened, Dr Stuttaford points out. With mounting awareness of the dangers of excessive consumption, the benefits were often overlooked. Recently, however, research has made most doctors aware that "under ordinary circumstances, alcohol taken in moderation is life-prolonging as well as life-enhancing".
That marks a return to the attitude that predominated from the time your granny kept a bottle of Wincarnis in the cupboard right back to the days of Plutarch, who wrote: "Of all drinks, wine is most profitable, of medicines most pleasant, and of dainty viands most harmless."
Dr Stuttaford is skilful at slicing open veins of vinous history, all laid bare for their comforting effect. He includes Samuel Pepys singing the praises of Haut-Brion (or Ho Bryan, which sounds so much better); the early Puritans who saw alcohol as a health-giving food, and various anecdotes about patients of his own to demonstrate that two or three drinks a day kept the doctor away. Even the New Testament gets an airing with Timothy's exhortation: "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
There is the cosy feeling that this Norfolk GP has enjoyed a daily ration of decent claret all his life and is sifting through the past to find supporters of his habit.
But in fact the chummy winebrotherhood element of the book is far outweighed by scientific information about the effects of alcohol - and often wine in particular - on various parts of the body. The basis for all the excitement about red wine's beneficial effects on the heart is well explained, with a reminder that research is still in its infancy.
Even so, the indications are that, through longer contact with grape skins and pips, red wine contains flavinoids and other antioxidants which reduce the likelihood of coronary heart disease by encouraging the production of "good" (HDL) cholesterol and helping to prevent the arteries from becoming furred up with fatty deposits. What is new - at least to me - is his theory that some red wines are more beneficial than others, because of their higher antioxidant quotient which, rather infuriatingly, depends on complex variables such as grape mix, soil and microclimate. In a nutshell, Dr Stuttaford claims that red wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone and Beaujolais are all rich in flavinoids.
Burgundy scores a double hit as it is also rich in resveratrol, the stuff that promotes "good" cholesterol. Wines from the south of France, Switzerland and Canada also tend to be especially healthinducing, he maintains, along with those of South Africa. As oak reduces the resveratrol count, wines made for early drinking are probably more beneficial than those destined for prolonged barrel maturation. If you can't stand red wine, all is not lost. White wine offers our arteries some protection (and "a quarter of a loaf is better than none", the doc points out). Dark beers and stouts are also considered cardio-protective to a degree - so hospitals were right to hand out Guinness in the old days. In fact, two to three drinks a day of any form of alcohol at all does the heart more good than total abstinence.
At this level of consumption it would seem there are other, less widely publicised benefits. Let's not forget that a modest amount of alcohol lowers stress levels and aids digestion. It also apparently helps the gall bladder to function more effectively. Better still, if you stick to two drinks or less, intellectual capacity increases, especially with age. (A French study recently quoted in Wine Spectator showed that older women who drank two glasses of wine a day scored much higher in brain function tests than female nondrinkers).
Indeed, Dr Stuttaford's chapter on Alcohol and Old Age is one of the most thought-provoking, in its reference to studies indicating how much can be achieved, in the care of the elderly, by a daily drink. Modest alcohol intake has been shown to reduce overall dependency on drugs by improving general well-being, sleep, social orientation and mental alertness.
A major US project in 1994 even came up with the finding that elderly moderate drinkers were steadier on their pins than non-drinkers. Add all that to the pleasure derived from maintaining a favourite ritual, and it's difficult to escape the conclusion that nursing homes and geriatric hospital units should hurry back to the healthy old notion of tonic wine.
This book is no carte blanche to booze away merrily, however. The dangers of heavy drinking and - even more scary - binge drinking are stressed throughout, with due attention to a grisly spectrum of possible consequences ranging from cancers, liver damage, chronic gastritis, brain impairment and cardiac arrest to enlarged breasts and shrivelled, unresponsive genitalia. Remember the magic safety numbers. Unlike Britain, Ireland continues - wisely, it is generally felt - to recommend a maximum of two drinks a day for women, three for men. More than ever, that sounds like a dependable prescription for a happier, healthier new year.
To Your Good Health! The Wise Drinker's Guide by Dr Thomas Stuttaford is published by Faber & Faber at £12.99 hardback, £7.99 paperback. Five Rules For Safe Drinking
Try to keep track of when, what and how much you drink, emptying your glass before you allow it to be refilled.
Avoid drinking both at lunchtime and in the evening.
Set yourself a limit before you start an evening's drinking.
Drink at meal times, or at least with some food. Always serve snacks with drinks.
Drink slowly, diluting your intake with plenty of water. Seven Wines For Seven Dinners
Following Dr Stuttaford's prescription that red wine is more beneficial than white, and that we should try to drink a glass or two a day with a main meal, I've chosen mainly red wines to suit a lowbudget January week:Monday
Chateau Saraziere, Cotes du Marmandais 1995 (Superquinn, Redmonds, Duffys, Deveneys, Bennetts Howth, O'Donovans & Bradleys cork, Garveys Tralee and many other outlets, £4.99-£5.49)
Here's something truly miraculous, never mind the good it may do you: a perfectly palatable red Bordeaux for under a fiver. Made for that frugal Monday feeling. See Bottle of the Week. Tuesday
Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna 1994 (Pettitts, £5.99 and some other outlets). A quite earthy Sardinian red, with typical Italian cherry and bitter almond character - good for pasta, pizza or bangers and mash.Wednesday
Fortant de France Syrah-Cabernet 1996 (Superquinn, £4.99, and many other outlets). Easy drinking from the sunny south of France, on an absolute shoestring - soft and plummy, with no oak. Thursday
Terrasses de Meranee Merlot, Vin de Pays de l'Herault, 1996 (O'Briens, £5.75, and some other outlets). Another smooth, southern softie, with hints of herb-scented hillsides in the flavour - as you'd expect from the Daumas Gassac stable. Still outstanding value. Friday
Jurassique Chardonnay en Sol Bourgogne, Jean-Marc Brocard, 1996 (Oddbins Baggot St & Blackrock, £6.49). Break the red routine with a simple but delicious white Burgundy from a top maker - again at an amazing price. Appley freshness but no tartness. Saturday
Domaine Moillard-Grivot Cotes de Nuits-Villages 1993 (McCabes, Redmonds, Grapes of Mirth Rathmines, usually about £13). "We call this a pretty wine," says Henri-Noel Thomas of the long-established family estate Moillard-Grivot. It's red Burgundy at its most approachable: not very complex, maybe, but extremely succulent. Try it with game to make the treat complete.
Sunday
Chateau Vieux Duche Lalande de Pomerol 1995 (Dunnes Stores, £6.99). Another great discovery, prompted by Dr Stuttaford's clear preference for Bordeaux. Good intensity of flavour - classic blackcurrants, smoke and spice - for much less that you'll pay for the roast.