Does the watershed times for alcohol actually make a difference?

Jeremy Sproket · 10-06-2021 1:35pm #1

The country where I grew up and where my dad is rom arguably has more punitive laws surrounding alcohol, yet alcohol dependency and misuse is roughly the same if not moreso than here.

An alcoholic will just stock up in advance regardless of what restrictions apply unless they ban it altogether, in which case they'll probably resort to moonshine or the black market.

Last Sunday morning I was doing an early shop and buying some 0% beers for making beer batter (my boyfriend is an avid teetotal and refuses to even eat beer batter if it was made with alcohol).

I picked up some 0.0% Heineken which were outside of the fenced off area in the supermarket so I assumed it was OK to purchase before 12:30 since it contains <0.0% alcohol (probably less than orange juice) and it was outside of the fenced off area, but I was refused the sale.

Does alcohol off sale rules actually work?

Even though my country (Sweden) has more punitive rules and restrictions for beer above (if I remember correctly, above 3%) must be purchased from the Systembolaget. There are no specific rules concerning alcohol below this and low or no alcohol beer can be purchased 24 hours a day from any supermarket willing to sell it.

Even Saudi Arabia has 0% beers.

Gregor Samsa · 10-06-2021 3:18pm

As far as I know, there's no legal prohibition on selling such alcohol free beer out of hours, or even to children, in Ireland. (there are guidelines that prohibit alcohol free beer from being marketed to children)

However, most retailers choose to treat them the same as alcoholic drinks, to make it easier to enforce the regulations for the other stuff, and so that they don't get sold to children (for reputational reasons). This is a UK article, but the same principal applies here:

https://steadydrinker.com/articles/id-alcohol-free-beer/

I guess this isn't an answer to the core question you're asking about the usefulness of alcohol sale laws, but it explains that the restriction you faced on buying the 0.0% beer isn't a legal one.

Strumms · 10-06-2021 4:41pm

Alcohol off sales work regulations work... imagine the carnage in temple bar or even anywhere if after 8 pints each or the equivalent, the assembled throngs could head to the spar and buy more at 1am ? There be carnage, proper carnage.

cj maxx · 10-06-2021 5:00pm

I could never see the reasoning of not selling 0% 'beer' out if hours. Pure barmy imo. Though for the shop it probably counts as "beer"

ShatterAlan · 10-06-2021 5:03pm

Strumms wrote: »

Alcohol off sales work regulations work... imagine the carnage in temple bar or even anywhere if after 8 pints each or the equivalent, the assembled throngs could head to the spar and buy more at 1am ? There be carnage, proper carnage.

I call bull**** on this. Isn't there 24 hour alcohol sales in the UK or at least in parts? Maybe Scotland?

Anyway OP, next time you go to the supermarket and try to purchase 0.0% beer outside of alcohol hours and are refused, ask why. But then also have tiramisu in your basket. That'll be scanned and then you can tell the cashier that she just sold you alcohol and that you will see her in court. :pac:

Thelonious Monk · 10-06-2021 5:19pm

ShatterAlan wrote: »

I call bull**** on this. Isn't there 24 hour alcohol sales in the UK or at least in parts? Maybe Scotland?

Yes in London you can buy booze 24/7.
What I don't like is how many off licences are still operating on weird Covid times, 2 near me now close at 2030 instead of 2200, and if I'm not wrong pubs have restricted hours even though they're open again somewhat. I hope they don't try and make the new hours be the new normal.

[Deleted User] · 10-06-2021 5:22pm

Generally when you see a country has stricter laws in something then that something is a problem they are trying to fix. Does it work? Probably not.

elperello · 10-06-2021 5:31pm

I got stuck in a chain supermarket for 10 minutes one Sunday trying to buy a bottle of wine on my way to a lunch invite.

The young lad explained that the till was programmed to reject drink sales before 12.30.

I guess head office have the tills programmed in the same way for non-alcoholic sales and staff have no discretion.

It's probably to avoid arguments ie. if someone saw a customer checking out bottles of n/a beer they might think it was the real thing and try to buy some real beer themselves possibly leading to problems.

Strumms · 10-06-2021 6:06pm

ShatterAlan wrote: »

I call bull**** on this. Isn't there 24 hour alcohol sales in the UK or at least in parts? Maybe Scotland?

Anyway OP, next time you go to the supermarket and try to purchase 0.0% beer outside of alcohol hours and are refused, ask why. But then also have tiramisu in your basket. That'll be scanned and then you can tell the cashier that she just sold you alcohol and that you will see her in court. :pac:

In India or certain parts of it you can marry your cousin that doesn’t mean we should...

Scotland has massive instances of alcohol related crime, no alcohol is sold via off license sales after 10pm.

In England it depends on what license is granted.... Engand have a vastly different attitude to alcohol then us... at least most parts..

France too, I could buy a bottle or two of Kronenberg at 1am there.

McGinniesta · 10-06-2021 7:35pm

Watershed? For alcohol abuse? Faaaaaaaaaaack off.

kenmc · 10-06-2021 9:03pm

Strumms wrote: »

France too, I could buy a bottle or two of Kronenberg at 1am there.

Maybe the law is a good law after all, stops us making mistakes like that

Larbre34 · 10-06-2021 9:12pm

Strumms wrote: »

Alcohol off sales work regulations work... imagine the carnage in temple bar or even anywhere if after 8 pints each or the equivalent, the assembled throngs could head to the spar and buy more at 1am ? There be carnage, proper carnage.

As opposed to doing depth charges at 12.30 as they do now and cause carnage anyhow?

Strumms · 10-06-2021 9:26pm

Larbre34 wrote: »

As opposed to doing depth charges at 12.30 as they do now and cause carnage anyhow?

More people out socializing at 3am will mean more trouble, more need for Gardai to police etc.

Thelonious Monk · 10-06-2021 9:27pm

Strumms wrote: »

In England it depends on what license is granted.... Engand have a vastly different attitude to alcohol then us... at least most parts..

They're at least as bad as us from my experience living there

Pauliedragon · 10-06-2021 9:49pm

There's no point blaming the cashier as the product literally won't scan which they have no control over. The same as the till in a shop that opens until 11pm will have alcohol products locked out after 10pm. I have 2 theories and it's pure speculation. The non alcohol beers are entered into the till system under the same bracket as the alcohol version so automatically locks them out. Shops also maybe don't want people on a Sunday morning (it's usually Sundays these questions come up) buying non alco beer at 10am and sitting at the park across the road where Nelly and her biddies from across the road half see the label and assume it's the real deal as the labels are similar which is where rumours can start about the shop "breaking the law the ruffians" etc, etc

Celmullet · 10-06-2021 10:03pm

Don't go in for the time restrictions but don't think alcohol should be sold in regular shops especially not petrol stations. Have them in off-licenses along with cigarettes. Remove that one step to temptation. If you want to buy drink, you'll go out of your way to get it, if you are in two minds about it that bit of effort might stop you from going.
Although as the OP mentioned alcoholics will just stock up but your regular person who might have a glass of wine after dinner might not bother if they can't pick it up with their fish fingers.

Tony EH · 12-06-2021 4:30pm

They work in that they piss me off mightily.

This idea of a cut off point at 22:00 is simply one of the most fucking annoying and useless things a government ever brought in in this country. I cannot wait for the day that that ridiculous nonsense is done away with.

Silly Paddyland politicking.

Thelonious Monk · 12-06-2021 4:33pm

Tony EH wrote: »

I cannot wait for the day that that ridiculous nonsense is done away with.

That day will probably never come. If anything they'll try and push more and more nanny state rules upon us. MUP was just the beginning, they're not going to stop at that.

Tony EH · 12-06-2021 4:35pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

That day will probably never come. If anything they'll try and push more and more nanny state rules upon us. MUP was just the beginning, they're not going to stop at that.

It'll be gone someday, just like selling booze of Good Friday was eliminated a few years ago.

Stopping alcohol sales at 22:00 is just a farce. A move to appeal to the puritans. One day it'll be removed also as a vote getter.

[Deleted User] · 12-06-2021 4:39pm

Why can't we have these regulations and laws reviewed every now and then and get rid of them if they aren't working?

Does the watershed times for alcohol actually make a difference?

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