macon.com:

As baby boomers approach their golden years, they are embracing wellness and wine — two things that don’t always go together.

While a glass of red wine a day may reduce the risk of heart disease, many boomers are drinking a lot more and not realizing they are increasing their potential risks for other serious health problems, ranging from alcohol abuse disorders to chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, liver disease, pancreatitis and certain cancers, said Dr. Robert Huebner, acting director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Division of Treatment and Recovery Research.

Read the whole story: macon.com

The Watertown-Mayer school board on Sept. 27 ratified a recently agreed upon contract between the school district and the teacher’s union that will freeze teachers’ salaries with no increases or steps for the next two years.

The two-year contract, which covers this school year and next, was agreed to by negotiators for the school board and the teachers’ union several weeks ago. The next week, the teachers’ negotiators met with their staff to get the contract ratified, and it was finally ratified by the school board at its Sept. 27 regular meeting.

The contract includes a hard freeze with no pay increases in either the 2011-12 or 2012-13 school years. On June 30, 2013, the salary schedule will be compressed from 16 steps down to 12 steps, and staff will receive one step increase on that date, the last day of the new contract.

“The staff has really stepped up to the plate,” Watertown-Mayer superintendent Dave Marlette said at the board meeting. “They really rolled up their sleeves to help us get through these next two tough years with no increases in pay.”

Among the most significant changes agreed upon in the contract is a new wellness bonus system designed to keep teachers in the classroom as much as possible and reduce the need for substitute teachers. At no additional cost to the district, a staff member will have the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $1,000 based on the number of times a substitute teacher is hired in their absence.

Each teacher’s bonus starts at $1,000, which they would receive if they don’t need a substitute all year. For each sub that is hired in their place, their bonus is reduced $100. The new policy essentially has teachers pay for their own substitutes, thus encouraging them to be in the classroom more often.

Marlette said the district spends $140,000 a year on substitute teachers, and with the change in the policy, the district will continue to spend $140,000 per year on a combination of substitute teachers and teachers’ wellness bonuses. The policy is a way to put more of that money in the pockets of the district’s regular teachers instead of substitute teachers, but most importantly, Marlette said keeping teachers in the classroom as often as possible often will be beneficial to the students.

“I firmly believe, and there are studies all over the place, that when a teacher is out of the classroom and a sub is hired, the learning for that day is reduced by 50 percent,” Marlette said. “My whole objective is the more days I can keep my teachers themselves in the classroom, the better student learning will be.”

Hennen promoted

In other news from the Sept. 26 school board meeting, the board approved the promotion of Bob Hennen from middle school dean of students to full principal status. The move was made at the recommendation of superintendent Dave Marlette in an effort to give Hennen the ability to evaluate staff, something he did not have the power to do as a dean of students.

“I feel that one of the most important things to driving student achievement is good solid evaluations between my principals and my teaching staffs,” Marlette said. “Principals can make a world of difference in how that teacher is working with the kids in the classroom.

“Bob is outstanding, and it’s like we’re tying his hands by having him a dean of students. We need to let Bob go in and do evaluations and promote better teaching.”

Hennen first became dean of students at the middle school in July 2010 after 12 years in the district as a high school social studies teacher. Marlette first expressed his preference at the board meeting at the end of August that Hennen be made a principal, and the board took formal action last week.

The promotion will include an additional $19,500 in salary and benefits, but will not add to the school district’s budget. The budget for this year included $63,000 for the new superintendent to reorganize the district’s administration in a way he felt would best help the district’s goals.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of waconiapatriot.com.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

Published: October 11, 2011 7:00 AM
Updated: October 11, 2011 7:31 AM

Oct. 10-16 is National Homelessness Awareness Week.. The following have been contributed by the Ksan House Society.

Your brother

“I HAVE an alcohol and drug problem and fell behind on rent by two and a half months. I got kicked out of my place because I spent money I made as a taxi driver on alcohol and drugs.

“I entered the shelter on July 21, 2011. I had to quit my job as a taxi driver on advice from family doctor and look for another job. EI approved my claim for regular EI benefits at $244 per week.

“While staying at the shelter I go to see (the) A/D counselor once per week. I attend AA meetings once or twice per day and go to NA Saturday night. I have a sponsor who is 5 years clean and sober who is helping me work on the 12 Steps of AA and he is helping me manage my money.

“I found a flagging job and I have worked 70 hours in two weeks. I have saved almost enough money to move out and get a new place to live.

“The staff at the Terrace Emergency Shelter are wonderful and very helpful, the food is excellent. I am presently looking for a new place to live with the (help) of my sponsor and the shelter.”

Your son

“IN the year 1994 I started having problems in a relationship and would come to the shelter when things got too bad. They were always willing to feed me and house me.

“In 2000 I separated and fell into depression [and started using] drugs. It helped to kill the pain I [had] refused to deal with over the past ten years. [The shelter has] always helped me when I needed it the most. It kept me from death.

“They always reminded me that I was worth a lot more and reminded me of how I was when I first came through the door, and told me I must deal with the past and let it go.

“And that [is] why, after ten years of my bulls***, I’m clean and sober and heading in a positive direction. I had work [in] one job for the past year and now ready for growth. I’m dealing with medical stuff [and] they have welcomed me back. They are one of the most important parts that have helped to bring me back to life. And for that I can never repay [them[.

“But my heart and thoughts are with them. They are like family that never stopped caring. “Thank you. Thank you.”

Your cousin

“COMING from a place in my life where life can just fall down everywhere around you and having no place to go, I have found my way to the Terrace Emergency Shelter. I have been couch surfing for a few years due to family maintenance. But couch surfing can only take you so far.

“I love my children and I would do anything for them. Sacrificing what I have for them is just one of my duties as a father. However sometimes life throws you situations that are just beyond [your] control. Because a very tough life can weigh down one’s morale, I found myself falling into a state of depression. I just couldn’t find the strength to do normal day-to-day tasks, having to fake a smile on a daily basis. My taxes fell behind more than a few years. I had moved so many times.”

“I found myself with nowhere to turn, and then I decided to swallow my pride and check into the Terrace Emergency Shelter. I didn’t know what to expect, as I had never had to accept this kind of help.

“For my morale it was the best thing I have done in a long time. The people who run the shelter are kind-hearted people. [They are] willing to help you back on your feet, show you that when you are [at] your lowest and you feel like there is nowhere to turn, that there is help available.

“The general feeling around the shelter is calm and relaxing. The staff members are cheerful and outgoing, the building in general is new and just a wonderful place to find yourself if you ever needs a place to feel accepted and not judged. As far as my morale goes, I can stand back up again and work towards getting my life back on track. I would like to thank the employees.”

The guy from school

“MY years most recent have flew by. I say my prayers every day and I find it makes the day less stressful. A lot of characters in BC – I made a lot of friends along the way.

“Progress has also been made with my personal growth. Getting from place to place has had a toll on my mental health. A day for rest is needed after a long bus ride. It is better to find meetings in the city rather than small towns. I get to see my family from time to time, and it is a relief.

“The less I worry about past mistakes the better I feel. When I get some work, it is a great stress relief.

“My days this year look like this for the most part: up at 5 a.m., sometimes later, go have coffee and a cigarette. Make my way to a meeting or watch some of the news. Go to school or do some studies at my place, have something to eat around noon. Then for part of the day I listen to music and sometimes talk on the phone. Sometimes in the evening I go crash and sleep to the next day.

“It’s nice to live in a country so beautiful and great. When I can afford to, I will travel to other places and see the world. My stay in the Shelter, Ksan, is a positive experience. I have made a lot of new friends and I think Ksan is the best shelter I have stayed in. My stay here has been good.”

 

There’s one moment in my life that will always be etched on my mind. I was in my late 30s, I’d been using heroin for 20 years and had overdosed for the umpteenth time. This time, I woke up on the kitchen floor with a syringe hanging out of my arm. I realised if that had been the shot that killed me, it would have been my mother who found me. I imagined her seeing me dead on the floor of my horrible flat that hadn’t been cleaned for months. I knew that was something she would never be able to get over and it filled me with horror and shame. It was the moment I began to turn my life around.

I had always been a bit of a wild child – I got into the punk scene when I was about 14 and started using recreational drugs such as speed and LSD. I first came across heroin when I was 16. I was at a friend’s squat in Islington and someone produced some. I was only too willing to try it. It was unlike any drug I had ever had.

I felt an incredible warmth throughout my body. It was like being in a bubble. I was totally at ease and felt I’d found the answer to all life’s woes. I was addicted immediately. I wasn’t dependent – that took some time – but I was totally hooked. It was like falling in love at first sight. Little did I know my 20-year struggle with heroin had just begun.

I come from a very privileged background. My family moved to Belgravia when I was in my early teens and I went to a private school called Town and Country School in Hampstead. It was one of those schools whose philosophy was to let children discover their own potential, so there was lots of freedom. Personally, I had a problem with boundaries to begin with, so I simply wasn’t able to manage myself under that regime – for me it just meant chaos.

My parents had no idea of the damage their hippie values did to me. They were beatniks who had met at art school. My father was a university professor and Marxist philosopher and they both shared the same values as a lot of post-war, middle-class parents did at that time – very left wing, believing that it was OK to let their kids run free. My parents believed that I was very artistic and all my skill and potential simply hadn’t been tapped into. But their intention to encourage creativity and a free spirit totally backfired.

I eventually got expelled for various reasons, including not turning up to games lessons and taking drugs, so they sent me off to a kibbutz for a while. I think they knew I was taking heroin but it wasn’t really spoken about. At the beginning I used to smoke heroin and always swore over my dead body that I would never inject it.

But when I came back from Israel I walked into a friend’s flat in Maida Vale and they were all sitting there injecting. They had moved on from smoking to shooting up in the six weeks that I had been away. I said, “Oh my God, what are you doing?” Within two hours my resolve had broken and I’d asked one of my friends to inject me. It was an overwhelming, instant effect – an amazing, orgasmic rush. At the back of my mind I knew I was getting in deep, but another part of me told myself I was in control and could stop whenever I wanted. Looking back, I was totally predisposed to addictive tendencies. I’m certainly not from a dysfunctional family, but I had issues within it. I’m a twin and my twin brother and I had a lot of difficulties with each other. We were never close and always highly competitive. I think we were both constantly fighting for my mother’s love and approval. I resented him. And as a child I had undiagnosed ADHD. I also had low self-esteem and I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was looking for something to fix me because I didn’t feel OK on the inside, and heroin was just the thing.

I moved from job to job and country to country, but the problem just came with me. I would always find myself back in the same position with a needle in my arm. Eventually, I came back to the UK and my existence was reduced to a life of petty crime. I was a shoplifter and an opportunistic criminal. I realised very quickly that being an addict was all-consuming. It totally limited my life, as every day I would get up and have to look for a way to make enough money to get the drugs I needed to keep the demons away. In monetary terms it was probably about £50 a day.

I cringe at the memory. Every day I became more of a mess; my hygiene was terrible and I got thinner and more wasted. I didn’t care. I became kamikaze and would just walk into a shop and pick up a TV. If I got caught I’d surrender immediately. I ended up wanting to get caught, as I thought maybe if I went to prison I could get some help.

But for me that never happened. They saw that I came from a respectable family and so they would send me off and expect my parents to pick up the pieces. They stereotype addicts and the more deprived background they come from, the more likely they are to get a prison sentence. I probably had about 20 offences to my name, but still they would only give me a conditional discharge.

It only ever gets worse if you are an addict. You cross more lines, you take more risks and your tolerance grows so you need even more drugs, until you get to the point where, rather than just getting stoned slumped in the corner, you desire total oblivion.

But that rock-bottom moment when I overdosed was the moment the drugs no longer worked for me. Even the highly efficient painkiller that is heroin couldn’t kill the fear of me imagining my mother finding my body. I felt utter despair and completely defeated. I couldn’t walk into another shop and steal again. I had nothing left to give. I begged for help and was given one final chance to go to rehab. That was nine years ago and I’ve been clean since.

I’m 47 now and basically lost a good 20 years to my addiction. I am making up for it now. After I was clean for five years I started to work in rehab. I’m now a therapeutic manager at the Cabin rehab centre in Chiang Mai in Thailand. I’ve been here for six months in one of the most beautiful settings in the world and it’s a job that is beyond my wildest dreams. We teach a modern take on the 12 steps and are probably one of the top-10 rehab centres in the world.

There are still consequences. I have Hepatitis C as a result of sharing dirty needles. I have a 26-year-old daughter; I let her down repeatedly. I hurt her so badly it’s taken years to gain any trust. She is still angry with me and has issues of her own. Those years can’t be undone. But I’m so thankful they’re behind me.

www.thecabinchiangmai.com

Interview by Lena Corner

The Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana will host its Annual Dinner and Meeting beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 11.

The reception will be held in Bain Hall in the Hunter Building of the First United Methodist Church at the head of Texas Street in downtown, and tickets are $35 per person.

New Executive Director, Dan Schoettle, NCAC II, who was hired in August, will share his vision for the Council, and guest speaker Teddy Allen will close the program with his own unique look at life. New board members and the recipient of the Jack Elbert Employee of the Year Award and the Wayne Drewry Award, which is given out to an individual or organization who has made outstanding and distinguished contributions in the field of alcohol and drug abuse, will also be announced.

The Council was founded in 1958 to serve as a resource for information on prevention and treatment for the disease of alcoholism and other Drug-related problems. For information on the 15 programs administered by the Council, please call 318-222-8511 or visit us online at www.councilonalcoholism.org.

The Watertown-Mayer school board on Sept. 27 ratified a recently agreed upon contract between the school district and the teacher’s union that will freeze teachers’ salaries with no increases or steps for the next two years.

The two-year contract, which covers this school year and next, was agreed to by negotiators for the school board and the teachers’ union several weeks ago. The next week, the teachers’ negotiators met with their staff to get the contract ratified, and it was finally ratified by the school board at its Sept. 27 regular meeting.

The contract includes a hard freeze with no pay increases in either the 2011-12 or 2012-13 school years. On June 30, 2013, the salary schedule will be compressed from 16 steps down to 12 steps, and staff will receive one step increase on that date, the last day of the new contract.

“The staff has really stepped up to the plate,” Watertown-Mayer superintendent Dave Marlette said at the board meeting. “They really rolled up their sleeves to help us get through these next two tough years with no increases in pay.”

Among the most significant changes agreed upon in the contract is a new wellness bonus system designed to keep teachers in the classroom as much as possible and reduce the need for substitute teachers. At no additional cost to the district, a staff member will have the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to $1,000 based on the number of times a substitute teacher is hired in their absence.

Each teacher’s bonus starts at $1,000, which they would receive if they don’t need a substitute all year. For each sub that is hired in their place, their bonus is reduced $100. The new policy essentially has teachers pay for their own substitutes, thus encouraging them to be in the classroom more often.

Marlette said the district spends $140,000 a year on substitute teachers, and with the change in the policy, the district will continue to spend $140,000 per year on a combination of substitute teachers and teachers’ wellness bonuses. The policy is a way to put more of that money in the pockets of the district’s regular teachers instead of substitute teachers, but most importantly, Marlette said keeping teachers in the classroom as often as possible often will be beneficial to the students.

“I firmly believe, and there are studies all over the place, that when a teacher is out of the classroom and a sub is hired, the learning for that day is reduced by 50 percent,” Marlette said. “My whole objective is the more days I can keep my teachers themselves in the classroom, the better student learning will be.”

Hennen promoted

In other news from the Sept. 26 school board meeting, the board approved the promotion of Bob Hennen from middle school dean of students to full principal status. The move was made at the recommendation of superintendent Dave Marlette in an effort to give Hennen the ability to evaluate staff, something he did not have the power to do as a dean of students.

“I feel that one of the most important things to driving student achievement is good solid evaluations between my principals and my teaching staffs,” Marlette said. “Principals can make a world of difference in how that teacher is working with the kids in the classroom.

“Bob is outstanding, and it’s like we’re tying his hands by having him a dean of students. We need to let Bob go in and do evaluations and promote better teaching.”

Hennen first became dean of students at the middle school in July 2010 after 12 years in the district as a high school social studies teacher. Marlette first expressed his preference at the board meeting at the end of August that Hennen be made a principal, and the board took formal action last week.

The promotion will include an additional $19,500 in salary and benefits, but will not add to the school district’s budget. The budget for this year included $63,000 for the new superintendent to reorganize the district’s administration in a way he felt would best help the district’s goals.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of waconiapatriot.com.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.

WOLF POINT, Mont. — Roosevelt County Sheriff Freedom Crawford says he experienced a spiritual awakening while in an alcohol treatment program that he entered following his arrest for allegedly throwing a man through a window in a bar fight.

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Crawford returned to work on Tuesday after completing a 28-day treatment program at the Rimrock Foundation in Billings. While there, he was diagnosed with alcohol dependency and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his 12-year career in law enforcement, he said.

He said the program was enlightening and believes that it, coupled with continued counseling, will help him become a better family man, community member and sheriff.

“I asked God for courage and guidance in helping with my recovery. And the answer I received was I needed to get my priorities in order,” Crawford said.

Crawford, 34, checked into the rehab program almost a month after his Aug. 2 arrest that stemmed from an early morning bar fight in Lewistown. He and several deputies were providing security for a court hearing on whether Barry Beach should be granted another trial in the 1979 beating death of Poplar teen Kim Nees.

A bartender at the Montana Tavern called police at about 12:20 a.m. that morning to report that a man had thrown another man through the bar’s front window. Authorities say the victim, a 48-year-old Pennsylvania man, suffered cuts to his face.

Crawford pleaded not guilty Aug. 11 before Lewistown City Court Jack Shields to misdemeanor charges of assault, criminal mischief, obstructing a peace officer, and disorderly conduct. Crawford posted a $3,500 bond and is scheduled for a bench trial on Oct. 21.

After his arrest, the chairman of the Roosevelt County Commission called for Crawford’s resignation. Crawford wrote an open letter of apology published in the Herald-News of Wolf Point in which he said he would not resign.

He declined to speak about the specific charges on the advice of his attorney, but he acknowledged that night in Lewistown “sparked a lot of debate.”

“I recognized it stemmed from my use of alcohol and I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said.

Crawford has been Roosevelt County sheriff since January 2007 and has worked for the sheriff’s office for 12 years. He began his law enforcement career as a police officer with the Fort Peck Tribes for six months and has served in the Army and North Dakota Army National Guard.

“My whole adult life, all I’ve known is public service,” Crawford said. “Law enforcement had become the most important thing in my life and I was dead wrong. My most important priority in life is maintaining my spiritual connection with God, and in turn becoming a better husband and father to my six daughters.”

Crawford said he will continue receiving care from a local counselor to deal with his alcohol dependency.

“It’s not about how you fall off your horse, it’s about how you get back on,” he said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ALCOHOL is the biggest contributing factor to domestic violence incidents on the Border, police have said.

Sen-Constable Bryan Gain, of Wodonga police, estimated 90 per cent of domestic violence cases they were called to were alcohol-related.

“A huge part of our job is dealing with domestic issues, it is one of the most time-consuming things we do and it is fairly common that domestic issues coincide with people drinking alcohol,” Sen-Constable Gain said.

Insp Jeff Barr, of Wagga police, said they responded to four alcohol-related domestic violence issues which resulted in injuries over the past two weekends.

A woman was hospitalised with facial injuries after being attacked by her alcohol-fuelled husband in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Insp Barr said that was just one of the 25 alcohol-related domestic violence issues they respond to every month.

“The spate of domestic incidents occurring over the past two weekends, certainly the majority of them have had some alcohol related factors,” he said.

“In the past couple of weekends there have been at least four that I would term serious domestic matters that have had alcohol-related factors, there have been more to a lesser degree with violence or aggression.

“Those four have resulted in injuries to the victim and have then resulted in charges to the extent we believe the matter warranted the person’s bail refused.”

Insp Paul Gay, of Albury police, said about 50 per cent of domestic violence cases the station responded to were alcohol-related.

But he said whatever the underlying catalyst for domestic violence, there was no excuse — it was a crime.

“Raising awareness throughout the community in relation to not only domestic violence itself, but also awareness about responsible drinking, drug usage, and mental health problems all need to be looked at,” Insp Gay said.

“Ultimately though, it’s up to the individual to take responsibility for their actions.”

He said one of the most difficult steps for a victim of domestic violence was reporting it to police, but it was a necessary step on to the road to recovery.

“Victims are often reluctant to contact police fearing they will have to leave their name and contact details with police.

“Not the case. If you need advice or simply not sure where to turn next, contact us anonymously. We will listen, advise, and help if we can.”

The person I look back on, two-and-a-half years ago, I don’t really recognise as me,” says 33-year-old James Corden in a thoughtful, reflective voice, sounding absolutely nothing like his cocky alter ego Smithy from Gavin And Stacey.

Remembering times of partying, drinking, ignoring phone calls from his family and being rude to his agent, he’s still embarrassed about letting the hype go to his head.

“I wasn’t in AA or anything. I just got a bit lost. I was heartbroken and a little bit famous… and that’s a bad mix,” he says, momentarily allowing his childish grin to break through the introspection prompted by his new autobiography May I Have Your Attention, Please?

The past decade has been a “rollercoaster”, Corden admits. After landing a part in West End musical Martin Guerre aged 17, he went on to star in ITV’s Fat Friends (where he met future Gavin And Stacey writing partner Ruth Jones), was cast in the National Theatre’s international tour of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, which ended in a film adaptation, and then created and starred in seminal comedy Gavin And Stacey, a series that garnered a level of public devotion not seen since the likes of The Royle Family.

“That for me was more interesting than Star Wars,” he says of Caroline Aherne’s ground-breaking domestic drama. “It was like a mirror: there’s my dad and mum, elder sister and her boyfriend, now husband, and dad’s got the remote…” he tails off, giggling.

“I had a burning thing inside me, that I always wanted to play proper parts in things. I thought, I’d rather write, than constantly be the person stood at the back.”

For its 2010 finale, the Gavin And Stacey show he co-wrote with Jones pulled in 10m viewers. Backstage though, as television’s chubby golden boy explains in his new book, he wasn’t happy. And Corden fans probably won’t need an autobiography to tell them why.

Riding high on a crest of professional success, when mediocrity hit it was a bitter blow. His sketch show Horne -amp; Corden, debut film Lesbian Vampire Killers – and even James Corden’s World Cup Live, an apparently harmless ITV presenting gig – were labelled as drivel by critics. And Corden is nothing if not honest about why he failed to deliver the goods.

“Trying to write a TV show, or be in things and be good, and going out all the time, are mutually exclusive. You just can’t do them both.

“You feel like you can, because you’re still handing in the work – it’s just not very good. Not to say it’s awful, but it’s not good enough.”

As well as the heady rewards of fame, Corden was also struggling with being single for the first time, after his nine-year relationship with Shelley finished in 2007, and his Gavin And Stacey co-star Sheridan Smith ended their “turbulent” affair two years later as he finished filming Gulliver’s Travels.

So Corden rented a fancy north London flat with Mamma Mia’s Dominic Cooper, and his socialising took on an epic quality.

“At one point, for about two weeks, all Dom and I had in the fridge was some vodka, a bottle of pink vitamin water and a Lindt chocolate bunny,” he writes.

Parties once or twice a week followed, with Cooper “smashing the c**p out of a ludicrously massive electric drum kit he had bought”. The noise became so bad that Camden Council threatened to fine them £25,000.

“Lots of people go to university, get really drunk, and wake up in bed with people they shouldn’t… but I went straight into a West End show, was in a really stable relationship and had a flat, and then slowly those things disappeared,” Corden points out, philosophically.

Soon his conscience, and his family, came to make their feelings known. “I was aware I’d been on a rollercoaster. But I didn’t realise lots of people who cared about me had been on it too.

“It’s only speaking to my mum now and she’ll go, ‘Oh my God, we were worried about you’. I’d drifted so far away from the boy they had raised.”

After his parents made an awkward, impromptu visit, terrified by reports in the papers of him falling out of clubs and bars, their worried looks were enough of a rebuke.

“There were no 12 steps, it was as simple as saying I’m going to stay in, and I’m not going to kiss anyone unless it could be ‘someone’.

“Of course I didn’t always stay true to that – but it worked on the whole,” he smiles.

That’s a huge understatement. Corden’s now in a steady relationship with charity worker Julia, has the lead in One Man Two Guvnors, transferring to the West End this autumn, and is the proud father of six-month-old Max.

“It was my birthday yesterday, and me and Jules ate sushi and watched Breaking Bad. And we didn’t even finish the second episode. The baby started murmuring, we were asleep by 9.50pm.”

While he and Cooper are still best friends (he lives a few doors down), their mutual party days are behind them, for now.

“I saw Dom the other day, he was sitting on our front step on his laptop, hijacking our wireless to send emails because his doesn’t work in his flat.

‘Wow you really haven’t changed’ I thought. ‘You’re on all these big movie posters, but you’re so uncool right now, you’re stealing wi-fi’.” Another friend he’ll never lose is Ruth Jones. “The truth is, if you get to sit in a room with her for a few hours a day, it’s the luckiest place in the world to be.

“She’s the most amazing company, coupled with an incredible creative mind. And when I was sort of, you know …” he stops and laughs ruefully about his partying days.

“Well, one time I turned up at Ruth’s at six o’clock, fell asleep on the sofa and didn’t wake up until nine o’clock the next day. She’d put a blanket on me.

“It’s the absolute truth that for a couple of years she was absolutely my only constant. My anchor.”

Corden is still learning to reconcile the highs and lows of his career, especially since he worked so hard to create professional opportunities for himself early on.

“At school there were three boys in the same play and the other two got the leads. The only thing that separated me from them was that I was heavier. And it pushed me.”

Today, he looks slimmer, and admits to having a personal trainer (he used to share the same one as David Cameron). But an even leaner silhouette seems unlikely at this stage.

“I would like to be…. (long pause) …lighter, and it’s a struggle, a constant battle… because I love sandwiches so much.”

Moving from deep reflection to gales of laughter in one sentence, the shades of light and dark in his character spread out like a rainbow.

“Sandwiches are amazing – they make me believe in God,” he quips defiantly.