Drinkers in Spoons

My daughter works in Spoons. She says they can start serving at 9 and usually she sells the first pint at 9.01. She thinks 90% of these drinkers are alcohol dependant. Rest are shift workers or special event, going on holiday etc.

Yep, I certainly wouldn’t want alcohol at that time in the morning, but you gotta love Spoons, as at my local branch you can get a large Sauvignon Blanc for £2.90

Totally insane. One of the few positive changes I have lived through is the decline in drinking among the young. As a teen in the ‘90s, people were obsessed with alcohol. They would come into work on a Monday and boast about how drunk they’d got. I remember going into my local town with some American and German friends and being so embarrassed and ashamed. Public drunkennnes in the late ‘90s was awful. There were idiots walking in the road and holding up the traffic, girls fighting and urinating in shop doorways, etc. The Americans I was with couldn’t believe it. Hideous. I remember feeling genuinely ashamed of my country

This was me today! I’ve been awake since 2am so having a drink with my “lunch” (at 9:30am) didn’t feel wrong to me.

My healthcare colleagues who work 12 hour nights often go for a drink on the way home from work around 8.30am.

I love drinking. I am having a glass of wine whilst typing this.

However, I don’t love day time drinking, or people who do it. I hate people drinking on the train - it seems some people can’t catch a train without having to get pissed at 9 am. It’s really unpleasant to be stuck in a train carriage with drunk wankers. I don’t like bottomless brunches for ‘mummies’ or sad old men throwing back pints at 8.30 am in Wetherspoons. Drink alters behaviour significantly and in a way that affects others in the vicinity - I agree with the normal societal rules that drinking early, drinking in enclosed public spaces (like trains), drinking excessively and in a way that could lead to behaviour that upsets or frightens others is not a good thing. And what interests me very much about this thread is that on MN, if someone comes on here and says they drink a bottle of wine a night in their own home, there is near universal condemnation…but if it’s old men chugging pints in Wetherspoons it’s ok and none of anyone’s business. It’s very interesting.

Very weird and unnecessary - unsavoury - in my view but I am not a drinker.

It is Wetherspoons so.....one must expect the unexpected.

How different is this to all those jetting off wherever who have a few pints before catching the 10 am flight? Or while on holiday at an all inclusive happily have buck fizz with their breakfast? I don't because I'd have a cracking headache by noon.

He’s probably just came of night shift. Poor bloke.

Maybe coming of night shift

It was the same when I was at uni 20 years ago. I would go and grab one at opening some mornings, and they would be queuing up ready to drink if I got there a little too early or they unlocked the doors late.

When we've gone mid morning yeah lots of people drinking. Too early, even me lol 😆

The one in the next little town to me, has a respectable, middle aged, woman who is in as soon as the doors open, then keeps ordering bottles of wine and just sits there slowly drinking them. I think it's an odd culture to drink so early on a morning. I don't even do it on holiday!

When I worked in pubs those people were generally ones who worked nights (except for the table of alcoholics of course). So for you it’s 8.30am but for them it’s 8.30pm.

For some it’s obviously just problem drinking but they’d just drink at home if they couldn’t at the pub.

I mean, I did go there a lot in my younger days, can’t beat a good pitcher of vodka and red bull lol

Really? That's brilliant!

I love the snobbery about Spoons. Makes me lol. Some people are being ridiculous, other people are sensible.

Ahahaha what do you expect in a spoons? Ffs there’s a whole Facebook group dedicated to people sending free booze to your table if you post it in the group.

try a nice cafe next time 😊

if you drink at 8am you are more restricted what you can do for the rest of the day. Whereas if you leave drinking until the evening you can do everything that isn’t impacted by alcohol impact before that,

Not if you are going back to work for an night shift!
Day time job. ( especially Friday or Saturday)
Go to work
Finish work
Meet friend
Have a meet up and a drink.
go home
Go to bed.

Night time workers
Go to work
Finish work
Meet friend
Have a Meet up and a drink
Go home
Go to bed

You’re wasting your time attempting to explain logic to that poster. More than one person explained that to her yesterday but she’s still perpetuating the same prejudice and no doubt will be till people stop responding.

Only if you live a 9-5 life where you work or have important things to do during the day.

Many people don’t live that kind of lifestyle - they work shifts, they’re retired, they work part-time, they work nights, they’re lucky enough to live lives of leisure etc.

The Spoons early drinkers who the OP thinks are weird are old men, according to people who’ve worked in Spoons.

I very much doubt these old mens’ days are packed with important runs in the car or any form of childcare. They simply want to drink beer and see people. I’d guess they walk or get the bus home when they’ve had a beer and a chat.

That's lifestyle dependent surely though?
If I work during the night... pop to the supermarket after work, then walk to spoons for a breakfast and a pint before going home to bed.... what difference is it to doing the same activities but going to work / shopping etc by day and drinking at night?

Nobody in the world has the same 24 hours

Head teacher here 👋🏼
I meet a fellow head teacher once a term on a Saturday at 9am for a spoons breakfast.

We drink refillable coffee on 4 of those occasions.

We drink cocktails on the other two...to celebrate the Christmas/Summer holidays.

Judge if you will...we love it.

if you drink at 8am you are more restricted what you can do for the rest of the day. Whereas if you leave drinking until the evening you can do everything that isn’t impacted by alcohol impact before that

Is drink driving only restricted to people who are morning drinkers?
News to me. I thought it was just as easy to drink at night after a pint