Drinkers in Spoons

[TheDaringOliveNewt]

I'm away and at spoons having breakfast.

Every single table apart from mine has pints going, at 8.30.

Aibu thinking it's weird?

I often go to music gigs too far away to go home afterwards and stay in a Premier Inn or similar. Next morning it's breakfast in Spoons (usually porridge, toast and coffee).
Then train home. Often there isn't anywhere else open for breakfast early enough

Our town centre Wetherspoons has a queue outside every morning before they open at 8am. One man was interviewed for the local rag and said he goes there everyday because he lives in temporary accommodation after the death of his wife. I believe they have to be out by a certain time and can’t return until later. Better to be in the warm and dry than walking the streets when the temperature is below zero. A lot of them are lonely older men, when you go early daily you see the same faces, exchange a few words and probably feel less isolated.

I also know of a team of night shift workers who complete an 80 hour week and finish at 8.15am Monday morning. Off they go and pile into the local Wetherspoons, your Monday morning is their Friday night. Saturday mornings will be full of Hen/stag parties and football fans starting early using it as a meeting point before going to the train station/airport.

Standard, usually older men alone. I don't judge, they're not bothering anyone. Agree rizzz people eat all sorts of crap in this country (and many are addicted to sugar) but are incredibly judgemental about alcohol. Obviously neither are great but lots of folks struggle with something.

It's a pub and it's football today so absolutely to be expected.

Not mine based on limited times going there, the range is greater perhaps but often seems poorly kept.

Drinking at 8.30? By yourself because football is on? Why all spoons open at 8am every day and full of drinkers (reading the room)

in the olden days of restricted opening hours, pubs in markets were allowed to be open first thing in the morning for the traders. I'm a nurse & after a night shift we would often go for a drink after work & before going home to bed. When you are doing seven nights in a row you never saw anyone but those on duty with you so it felt like a bit of normality

Standard Spoons behaviour. There’s one on the same street I work on. The usual crowd stand with their noses pressed on the doors waiting for it open every morning. I don’t know if they’re all drinking pints first thing tbf (judging by the state of most of them though…). I think some of the more elderly regulars go in for free coffee and tea refills all day and the company.

Also as someone further up pointed out, yummy mummies getting pissed on bottomless prosecco brunches in places all across the city seems to be absolutely fine so I don't really see why men drinking a pint in Spoons in the AM is any more worthy of opprobrium.

We wouldn't we judge alkies? Nothing to do with the grace of God. Drinking at 8.30am is never a good thing. Post night shift, holibobs whatever. If they drink at that time they have a drink problem.

Because a lot of them are alcoholics. I don’t know why this is difficult to understand. A lot of them are there every day and sit at the same table.

I agree it's standard Spoons behaviour. Personally, I dont know how people do it. I'd feel so sick drinking a beer at 8am and by lunch time I'd be asleep and then would feel lethargic and shit for the rest of the day.

I agree with PP though, the people I have seen doing this are usually old, lonely looking men with bulbous red noses and red spider vein cheeks. They always seem to be drinking alone and always seem desperate to talk to strangers. It's kinda sad.

If the op posted that she saw 'yummy mummies'<> boozing at 8.30 I'd say the same. The venue isn't the issue, it's the time and the alcohol that is.

We have a spoons in our town which is close to the station. If it was a special occasion like a weekend away for someone’s birthday we’d all meet there and have breakfast and a drink before getting on the train, where we would no doubt continue drinking. I suppose it was like having a drink at the airport. I don’t really do it so much now I’m older, but plenty of others in my town still do. It’s just a way to kick off a journey. None of us were cracking open can at that time on a normal day.

Are you close to a Six Nations venue, or a football stadium?

Most spoons don't serve alcohol until 9am i wanted a drink before this but wasn't allowed its not because I'm an alcoholic its because id been up hours travelling and it felt like lunch time to me. I don't understand this negativity around daytime drinking what difference does it make if you have a drink at 9am or 9pm

The effort of going outside?

Eh? It's not really a lot of effort to leave the house.

Pints in Wetherspoons? Whatever next.

Those drinking pints in Wetherspoons are probably baffled why you chose Wetherspoons when you just wanted breakfast.

Well it's weird to me but knowing my uncle and his cronies a lot of them may be nightshift workers going for a pint after work !

You're criticising people in Spoons whilst being a person in Spoons. Right.

Surely you are in a pub for cheap food what did you expect ?

At 8.30am?!

I'm surprised we don't have laws banning the sale of booze at that time. Alkies will drink wherever but providing a venue for them likes this enables the 'social drinking' excuse.

Used to work there and they’d be alcoholics waiting at the door with a bag full of pennies to pay for their pints. Very sad.

Most if not all don't serve alcohol before 9am

I am assuming it is an English pub selling pints at 8.30 ?