Drinking at home? It's going down. Oh good.... hang on a minute.

The data above shows that the levels of drinking in the home are decreasing. However, this is despite the fact we are constantly told that Britain has a binge drinking culture that is a problem.

The National Health Service is regularly giving advice to people and warning about the dangers of drinking too much.

So what seems to be the problem? We are not drinking as much as we have in the past according to these statistics.

The problem is simply that our drinking culture in this country is horrific. We may have benefitted from some fantastic nights because of it, but it is horrific.

For me, drinking at home involves relaxing watching a film with a cheeky can of cider or lager. Maybe even a glass of red if I am feeling classy. It also conjures up images of loneliness and, quite frankly, being uncool. Lets face it, we are brought up to believe that going out on a Saturday night and practically destroying ourselves is the way to go when it comes to booze.

Well, when you're young anyway. One of the most disturbing things I have found about getting older is I can feel the glass of red becoming more appealing. I imagine the age of the people drinking at home would be more on the "mature side".   

But go out on a Saturday night into any town in this country. Its a good experience to be honest. Go there when you are sober and you might as well have stepped into the deepest circle of hell.

You only have to go abroad to see how different our drinking culture is from the rest of Europe. I went to France to watch Warrington play Les Catalans in Perpignan. To any rugby league fan who has made the trip, it is a highlight of the season. It is also startling to see two cultures clash, British and French. The French people will have a meal, maybe share a bottle of wine, and will drink to chill out essentially. Then the British wade in, downing pints by the minute and singing dirty versions of the traditional French classic "Alouette". It is enjoyable but at the same time, eye opening.

So is the fact we are drinking less at home a good thing or a bad thing? It is a good thing, the NHS will most certainly be encouraged. But it certainly is not the problem.

It's that deepest circle of hell on a Saturday night.