STEP away from the sauvignon.

That is what I will be saying to myself over and over again this month.

Yes, you heard it right. A journalist giving up the booze.

Gone will be that glass of wine I drink as I cook, gone will be that pint at a gig and gone will be those G&Ts on Friday, Saturday and (sometimes) Sunday.

Why am I doing this? Well, as your esteemed health reporter I thought it was high time I carried out a little experiment in the name of research.

As a non-smoker I couldn’t do Stoptober but as a social drinker I thought I could give up alcohol for Go Sober 2014.

Now I wouldn’t say I was a heavy drinker but I have noticed how my drinking habits have changed since I was a fresh-faced 18-year-old.

When I was a student, I only drank to get drunk. I never drank on my own and would never sip on a glass of wine for its full-bodied aroma.

Back then I was what experts would call a classic binge drinker. Cheap rose or cider before you went out and then on to the bar or club with the cheapest doubles on offer. It never led to any truly disgraceful behaviour (wince) but they definitely weren’t the most dignified nights of my life.

I also stacked on more than a stone in my first year at university. Thanks Strongbow.

And then I entered the world of work. This is when I started to drink more casually. Going for a few beverages on a Thursday seemed preferable to losing a precious weekend to a two-day hangover.

But as I got more into cooking and nights in, I started to drink more at home. Now I think nothing of having a glass of wine as I’m preparing a meal.

In short, I’ve turned into my mother. Even though I don’t drink heavily in the week, I would happily share a bottle of wine with a friend mid-week.

And all those units of alcohol add up.

National guidelines say a woman can have between two and three units a day and maximum of 14 a week. Men are allowed a little more with three to four a day with a maximum of 21 a week.

One unit is a single measure of spirit, such a gin or vodka, or a 125ml glass of eight per cent wine.

So if you wanted to drink every day, two very small glasses of weak wine or two halves of low strength lager would be your lot.

Dr Kieran Moriarty is a consultant gastroenterologist specialising in alcohol-related illnesses at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

He says people often exceed their daily alcohol limit by pouring themselves generous measures or buying drinks with a high percentage of alcohol, adding: “When people pour themselves a glass of whisky at home, generally it tends to be a treble measure — yet that person would only class it as one drink.

“The same goes for wine. Very few wines are eight per cent and not many small glasses of wine are a 125ml measure. You’re more likely to drink a 175ml or 250ml measure of 12 per cent wine.

"Many people would think nothing of drinking a bottle in one evening, which is about nine units.”

The main objective of Go Sober is to boost funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

I will be fundraising for them too but I want to look more at the health benefits and how it affects my general wellbeing. Plus, my mum is taking on the challenge too and we’ll help each other along.

Dr Moriarty says Go Sober is a good opportunity to think about the way we drink alcohol.

He explained: “The good thing about the campaign is that it makes people reflect on their own drinking habits.

"We don’t want to scaremonger people but alcohol, even consumed in small amounts, has around 70 different harmful effects on the body.

"Some of the benefits you can expect in a month are weight loss, better mental health and more efficiency.”

You can sponsor me at: gosober.org.uk/profile/charlottedobson