Yes, alcohol consumption is declining. But Britain’s drinking culture still traps so many – and they can’t find a way out
Recently, a friend in Scotland has been griping that licensing laws are standing in the way of his summer nights out. But not in the way you might think: his grievance centres on the impossibility of buying a non-alcoholic beer from a shop after 10pm.
A formerly enthusiastic drinker, he has recently discovered the delights of 0% lagers: all the fun of the fair without any of the hangover. And now he finds himself unable to buy what is essentially a soft drink, simply because you can’t buy alcohol after 10pm in Scotland, and his 0% beer is categorised alongside its alcoholic equivalent. “I’m going to start a social media campaign about this,” he complained, only partly joking.
Moya Lothian-McLean is a contributing editor at Novara Media
