The principal of only drinking water has long appealed to me.

It’s natural, healthy, cheap and simple.

But in reality I’ve never been able to do it.

I don’t think I can remember a single week in my life when I drank only water. My generation were raised on squash and coca-cola, then tea, beer, wine, coffee, fruit juice, whiskey and maybe even a mojito.

I’m also addicted to caffeine. I can happily drink three cups of fresh coffee before 9am.

But the topic of water came up in conversation a few days ago and I thought half-heartedly about taking on a personal challenge. Drinking only water for a month. Only half-heartedly though.

Then another loved one suffered another health scare and I decided to take on that challenge.

I would drink only water for the whole of September.

I failed quickly by drinking a coffee at 1.30am on the very first day of September. Though in my defense I had to wake up and drive an hour to a hospital, then an hour back home. So I’ll start the month from the second time I woke up.

I will go without the coffee I love so much, and also without the lovely local wine. And as the weather here turns colder and I crave a warm cup of tea, I will go without. And I won’t open the tempting new bottle of Glenfiddich I’ve been given.

It will be difficult.

My head already feels like it’s collapsing for lack of coffee, but really, who am I to begrudge drinking water when 783 million people don’t even have access to safe water.

783 million people.

The money I will save by drinking water this month will go to WaterAid.