such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin are the focus of public attention, excessive drinking is somehow more acceptable on an Island where drinking is often jokingly referred to as a national sport.

And at no time of year is alcohol abuse more rampant than at Christmas with its inevitable round of parties and dinners.

As many as 10 percent of Bermuda's adult population are believed to be alcoholics but the problem goes much deeper, affecting families, subsequent generations and the workplace.

Tomorrow, in the final part of its Bermuda In Denial series, RG Magazine takes an in depth look at the destruction wreaked by Bermuda's most insidious disease.

Writer Robin Zuill talks to recovering alcoholics, addiction therapists and others about the disease, its causes and effects.

As one therapist tells Zuill: "The mindset is that you've got to be out on the streets, sleeping on park benches, to be an alcoholic. As long as we get up and go to work and get a salary, then it's not that bad. There are a lot of people who know they have a problem, but they don't think it's that bad.'' On a lighter topic, nutritionist Janet Burull tells readers how to have their cake and eat it too with some clever festive recipes that are big on taste but low on fat.

In Fields of Dreams, Roger Crombie talks to Bermudian Sandy Mitchell, founder of WindReach, a 105-acre Ontario farm purpose-built for mentally and physically challenged visitors, and about his plans to build a similar facility in Bermuda.

In this month's Photoshoot feature, photographer Hamish Shorto focuses on the bizarre and often beautiful world of tattoos, and in travel, Bermudians Tony and Toni Davis relive a memorable Christmas afloat in Burgundy, France.

The December issue of RG , which features Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan and Opposition Leader Frederick Wade in festive mood on the cover, also includes a 20-page Christmas Gift Catalogue - and it's available free only with tomorrow's edition of The Royal Gazette.