So our PM was an old soak - that explains a lot.

He has admitted to drinking half a bottle of wine and stiff G&Ts every day as a prop. But everyone underestimates what they drink - so I would double the 80 units to 160 units.

This could well explain his poor judgement in later years and the weird look he started to show - basically he was still slightly inebriated.

Funny how the press have not even worked this out yet.

He would not be the first World Leader - that Russian President was always toppling over because of the vodka.....and I am sure the UK has had other alcoholic leaders - Kennedy of the Lib Dems being one.

Though I still dislike the man and what he has done - this explains things a bit more and does for me make him more flawed and more human.

Tony Blair became an alcoholic because of the stress of the job. Where were his advisors and his doctors ? They should have given him some therapy. In addition where was Cherie ?

Seems his book is going to reveal much more than most books. A brave attempt at currying favour after giving the World a war and Gordon Brown........

To paraphrase Ronnie Reagan: 'There you go again, BR!' Blair didn't 'become' an alcoholic. He drank a bit more than he should have done during a certain period. Anyway, Churchill seemed to cope on rather more.

they said if you took Boris a bottle of vodka you came away owning the state railways.

I've always thought Blair was straight out bonkers

Prunella Minge wrote:
He drank a bit more than he should have done

Wouldn't you - if you were waking up next to Cherie ?

Alcohol abuse impairs judgement - and my Brother In Law sadly is an alcoholic - and the look on Blair's face is exactly the same as his - drawn and gaunt.

Drinking alot often gives you a red nose as well ! Alex Ferguson being an example !

But I think if you look closely at pictures of Blair you can see where he went from being healthy and full of vitamins - to being gaunt and ill through alcohol abuse.

He had a tough job - and turned to drink. He would not be the first.

Is he bonkers ? now I am not so sure. Slightly vain and full of himself - but bonkers probably not.

His paranoia over BROWN could also have been induced by being on the pop. Heavy drinkers are often paranoid and fall out with their friends. Similar to drug addiction.

The Daily Mail is now carrying the headline "Brown drove Blair to drink" - so perhaps the media is going to run with this story - because it seems to me the biggest revelation and could explain oh so much of the disastrous way Blair left the UK To seek the bosom of BUSH where he probably drowned his sorrows in the wines of the New World.

Poor old Tony - just shows that if you KILL A MILLION people your KARMA comes to bit you back on the bum.

He is drinking to blot out the GUILTY feelings. Joining the Catholic church no doubt has been part of this guilt trip. Perhaps his best bet is to spend more time with SIR CLIFF who may be able to purge him of his sins.

BR wrote:
Perhaps his best bet is to spend more time with SIR CLIFF who may be able to purge him of his sins.

Oh, sorry .... I thought it said sons !

In The Know wrote:
Prunella Minge wrote:
He drank a bit more than he should have done

Wouldn't you - if you were waking up next to Cherie ?

For so many reasons: YES!!!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11152307

Seems the media have now caught up with this story ( after us of course on here )

But they seem not to be able to see that :

Stiff G&Ts would be around 80% more than a pub measure. 9 units per day
Half Bottle of Red Wine at 14% would be around 6 units per day

That is 15 units a day and x 7 = 100 units a week which is THREE times the 32 units that doctors suggest as the safe limit.

Now if we take into account that anyone who drinks UNDER exaggerates the real damage and I would suggest that Tony probably once getting to HALF a bottle would finish it ( I certainly would do if I was stressed !! ) so that could double to 12 units per day putting him on 150 units a week which is basically ALCOHOLIC level.

The fact that by 8a.m the next morning he was fighting fit for his day of work meant his liver worked overtime from 9p.m for 11 hours so that he was not drunk by the time he started work. He was probably only drunk behind closed doors from about 8p.m to when he went to sleep at 12 midnight. So no one ever saw the effects of his problem drinking.

It is staggering to think that we went to war FOUR times on the basis of a Prime Minister who was abusing alcohol like this - and that he kept it hidden from people including Alistair Campbell by doing it at home behind closed doors......It makes Charles Kennedy look positively healthy on it and open about his problem.

Blair has admitted he used alcohol as a prop - which is the definition of being an alcoholic according to the NHS - e.g the need to self medicate

Truly the most disturbing memoir of a UK Prime Minister for many years.