AIBU to think daytime alcohol demand points to a wider problem?

for years i judged someone because i saw her buying vodka at 9 in the morning.
i was perhaps wrong about her!

I’ve been caught out by this when visiting relatives in Scotland. Went to buy a thank you bottle of wine and couldn’t as too early. There’s a big alcohol problem in Scotland, I’m not sure how much difference this rule has made.

Ive been in my local English coop early on way to work and seeing guys buying 12 packs of beer, regulars by their interactions with the staff…

Once in a while when travelling to watch Bristol Rovers play away. It's so I could enjoy a pint with food after being awake at least 3 hours.
My wife and I love exploring towns like Chester, Exeter, Shrewsbury so we get there early. Large breakfast couple of beers then explore. Come 5 o'clock I'm safe to drive. Great day out.

I get my shopping delivered at 8am in the morning and often include alcohol. Anything from cider for my roast pork to a bottle of prosecco for a weekend party.

Im not drinking it at 8am

Kindly I think you need to examine your relationship with alcohol 2 pints with breakfast is a concern.

If people get angry about not being able to buy alcohol along with their regular groceries, they probably have a drinking problem.

I love a drink but I have been known to run in at 8am ( England) because I need a birthday present/ thank you gift/ school raffle prize.
I buy my wine after work when I know what I fancy or buy a case on offer.
The morning alcohol is never for me

@chubley I can’t even face coffee at 5am, last time I took a 6am flight it was delayed 2 hours, I just about drunk my green tea I bought with the voucher we were given (genuinely beyond their control yet treated us well) other were several lagers down, was a lively flight!

I live in England so can buy alcohol when I want, I have bought alcohol at 8am because I was doing the shopping for that night/weekend no because I was drinking it that day even

Thinking back, my doctor was an alcoholic who chain smoked through my visits when I was pregnant. I only went to see him twice, at 5 months to get booked in to a hospital and once at 7 months, but he was plastered both times

Difficult not to be judgy in some parts of Scotland where alcoholism is a serious issue. So much so, doctors assume you’re lying about your alcohol consumption and triple whatever you say. The West of Scotland was always noted for alcohol abuse. I don’t know if that’s changed…most of those I knew have died and I don’t go out any more. Even the boat crews on coasters that collected our seaweed could not do a job without being taken to the pub for a couple of hours first. Their boat was unable to land them so they commandeered our ;cutter’ as they called it. And they could drink. I had 9 whiskies in the optics and 4 in front of me they had ordered for me, while still sipping my first, when they said they were ready to go after half pints with whisky chasers. But they weren’t in supermarkets buying.

Licensing laws don’t apply in airports in Scotland . But ferries..you have to wait till you have passed the 3 mile limit to international waters …or at least that was the case when I travelled to Arran.

Google tells me airports are exempt from the standard Scottish licensing laws. Seems hypocritical therefore to apply time restrictions on supermarket shopping.

Good thing that rule doesn't exist in England. The bottle tombola would be a disaster- on donation day there's always a huge queue of parent buying chocolate and wine donations before school run! 🤣

Do airports in Scotland serve alcoholic drinks early in the morning, or is that also banned? In England the airport bars are full of people having a pre-flight drink at 5am! Personally I can only tolerate coffee at that time!

Seriously? Is this all you have to worry about in your life? Is so, you are very lucky. Why is what other people do any of your business? Just do you.

England based so no time limits on buying alcohol 👋
If i went to the shops after the school run or first thing Saturday i would want to buy everything on my list. Even wine. I wouldn't be drinking it then though. I almost never buy booze and then drink it straight away. I would go home and put in the fridge or on the wine rack fir whenever i actually want it.

When my DC lived at home I'd see them off to school and then go to the supermarket if I wasn't working, then I wouldn't have to go out for the rest of the day. I wasn't going to come home and immediately open a bottle of red.

This is the case in Australia - you can’t buy booze at the supermarket, but the bottle shop is usually attached to it. Same building, just an adjacent outlet. It’s performative nonsense.

During Covid, the supermarkets pushed us all around the shops in a queue, and I know in my local Tesco Extra, the queue started in the booze aisle.
You could not avoid it.

Will that be at the same place they get their dog food too?

Exactly. I think it points to more of a problem if you only ever buy alcohol when you're ready to drink it.

I don’t think anyone would disagree with you that alcoholism is a horrible affliction and a scourge, but you have made your point very poorly I’m afraid. You just sound super judgey.

That's Scotland for you.

Echoing many posters, I’m also in Scotland and drink maybe one bottle of wine per month max but the 10am-10pm rule is so annoying. I wake early and like to walk the dog then go shopping. If I want to buy alcohol I have to make a second trip later. I’d suggest they could allow alcohol purchases as part of a more substantial shop, but that would be a pain to oversee (what would be considered substantial etc) and the rule is also a pain if you want to pick up a bottle of fizz or similar as a gift on your way to work.