Off licences are allowed to remain open during stricter lockdown

[reliefistheword]

Off licences are allowed to remain open during stricter lockdown because responsible drinkers were entitled to have a drink

This has been deemed essential.

Ridiculous.

Alcohol withdrawal can kill, heroin withdrawal is just very very unpleasant.

@blackberrysoup

Aww have a gold star!

Off licences are allowed to remain open during stricter lockdown because responsible drinkers were entitled to have a drink

This has been deemed essential.

Ridiculous

Can you imagine the kick off if they weren't?

Not being funny but with the current climate i think we could all do with a bloody drink. I bet all the posh toffs all have stocks of it so if Joe Blogg wants to pop out for a couple of beers or a bottle of wine to see him through why should you miserable lot stop him. Soon we ain't even going to be allowed to buy chocolate or anything remotely nice should something of you have your way. Some of us might die in the next months ahead and why live the rest of your life eating carboard and drinking tap water if you can enjoy lockdown.

Lifes to damn short and the people running these shops need the money as long as there is no seatings, gatherings and distance and hygeine is carried out keep them open!!

It's ridiculous, we don't need alcohol.

Actually, alcohol dependent people do need alcohol. Because they're dependent on it. Going without will kill them and it's not a pleasant way to go.

Simple solution for you - don't use the off licenses if you don't like it. Same as the people who are complaining about others buying things they deem to be 'unecessary' online. The economy won't survive if we close everything down; the Govenrment doesn't have an inifinite money tree, despite what many people believe.

The off-licence is also the only place in our small town where you can get your electricity key topped up... Or are we thinking people should just sit in the dark and not have any heating or appliances on now we're on summer time?!

I suspect a big part of it is the practical issues with what is considered "an off-license" vs a newsagent or corner shop. A lot will sell some food, even if it's just snacks and soft drinks. And even somewhere that normally only sells booze, the owner could easily get a stack of food from their wholesaler and claim that meant they're a food shop and can stay open.

Our off license is the only place I've seen bread or loo roll or rice for several weeks. If they close all of their customers would have to go into the city (we're rural) and get in the sainsburys queue. Surely it's best to have as many shops selling essentials open as possible to keep people far away from each other.

'So we should give heroin, cocaine to those who are dependent on these drugs? Everybody’s addictions should be fed? Because their deaths will withdrawal would be unpleasant?'

Well yes heroin addicts are given methodone. You sound like you have zero empathy for the very large number of people in the UK who are dependent or addicted.

You have not responded to the point that many off licences are general shops.

In fact I haven't seen an old school off licence for years. Booze is sold in supermarkets and corner shops here.

The main point of the lockdown/restrictions is to protect the NHS. Do you understand this OP?

Sending the nations alcoholics into major withdrawal all at the same time would overwhelm the NHS at any point in time, never mind now. It would be entirely counter productive.

Yes,.just remember that when you are looking at oh how seriously your government are treating this lockdown. Key workers = doctors, nurses, shop assistants in the local offy.
They really take the piss

Or are we thinking people should just sit in the dark and not have any heating or appliances on now we're on summer time?!

I'm not sure the OP has done a great deal of thinking full stop.

And good point about alcholics, they can't just stop it will kill them.

*I'm not sure the OP has done a great deal of thinking full stop.

My nearest off licence is also the nearest post office and half the shop is groceries
I think there would be a riot if the sale of booze was banned

We e been getting all sorts from our local offie as they do some basic groceries too- I’d rather be able to nip there than wait for an hour to get into Tesco for bread and milk.
And yes, I do want a beer too now and again - the big supermarkets have enough pressure on them without being the only place to buy a bottle of wine.
Quickest way to start a black market is to make it I possible/hard to get something

YANBU OP it’s ridiculous

@Stircrazed

a) key workers are allowed out in every country - it's kind of necessary to allow medical staff to continue working unless you're planning to ventilate yourself with a bit of garden hose.

B) off licences are in many cases the only shops open at antisocial hours which also stock basic groceries and top ups for electricity so yeah, key workers may need to use them and it is nothing to do how seriously or otherwise the government are treating this lockdown.

@anonymum95 ever seen the state of women beaten up by their partners in a drunken state? Even when drunk, men can cause a lot of physical damage.

My brother's an alcoholic and he didn't get his beer in the supermarket delivery and that nearly tipped him over the edge. You can expect a spike in violence at the point it's banned that much is for certain.

I think some people are actually enjoying this crisis as of it were a punishment from God for our wicked ways so we should drink water, dry bread and atone for our sins.

Not everyone who drinks alcohol is a wife beater, in fact most aren’t.

It's also very easy to say they should shut from a naice middle class town with an array of well stocked supermarkets around you. It is a very different call when they're the only shop in walking distance for large housing estates who won't be able to get deliveries even if they could afford to spend enough.

It’s not even whether it’s essential (which it clearly is for the alcohol dependent, as others have ably pointed out) it’s about us all getting through a very tough time. The odd beer or bottle of wine helps to replace the enjoyable things we can no longer do. If you close off licences, you would logically have to stop sale of alcohol everywhere, other wise how is that fair? (Also as other have pointed out, it’s easy for an off-licence to also be a food shop). So if we ban the sale of non-essentials, are we going to shut of the chocolate and crisps? The squash? The makeup and toiletries (you don’t need anything other than basic soap for all washing needs)? Anything other than basic meat, potatoes and veg, carb sources?
We have to try to get through this with some enjoyment and some things to look forward to.