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Ironic how we in Poland seem to have stricter than usual rules on alcohol advertising and yet beer adverts are absolutely everywhere and drinking culture is a big part of social life.
I remember being driven to another city, around a 300 km ride. I counted at least 6 or 7 roadside ads for beer, alcoholic or not. I'm talking massive banners put up next to the high-speed roads. It baffles me how this is legal.
That and the fact you can buy alcohol truly everywhere, I'd struggle to find a store where you can't. Even tiny groceries ran by a few people usually have an entire wall of beer, wine, vodka etc. It's sold at gas stations, hell, it's sold at the parliament's bar.
I sadly doubt anything will come of this, there's very little political will to bring about significant change in this area.
I know that alcohol may be bought by passengers or to drink after done driving, yet seeing alcohol being sold at gas stations always feels so wrong
Interesting; what do gas stations in your country usually sell? Most places I’ve been in the US and Canada the shops at gas stations are usually referred to as “convenience stores” and while most of what they sell is intended for people on road trips, like individual beverages and snacks along with some automotive products, they usually also have a very limited grocery and pharmacy selection as a convenient stop for basics, especially if the other stores are closed. It’s never surprised me that they usually sell whatever alcohol is legal to be sold in that state/province because it’s such a typical mix with everything else. (Some states and provinces restrict at least some items; hard liquor is often relegated to specialty stores or even state/province-run stores, New York restricts wine and liquor to specialty stores, and Ontario restricts even beer to government-run stores.)
It’s never occurred to me that someone might buy the alcohol and immediately start drinking in the car. I know people sometimes will literally drink while driving but it seems relatively rare here compared to simply getting drunk and then driving. My guess is it’s because open container laws are so well known and alcohol bottles or cans tend to be pretty distinctive compared to non-alcoholic drinks, so it would be pretty obvious if someone had just bought one and immediately started drinking. Most cases I’ve heard of the driver has transferred the alcohol to something less obvious, like a travel coffee cup. Maybe it’s more common in places like Louisiana where they inexplicably have drive-through bars that sell cocktails in to-go cups and put a piece of tape over the straw hole that is supposed to act as a “seal” to show the driver hasn’t been drinking. I’ve never been to any state that does that. But since most people in the US and Canada are driving (outside of the largest cities) buying alcohol at a gas station and getting in a car or buying alcohol at a liquor store and getting in a car doesn’t seem like a particularly different opportunity.
It's a similar thing here, in Poland. Gas stations are basically expensive convenience stores and sometimes they are the only stores open, so it's not surprising that they sell alcohol. I'm just talking about the subconscious feeling I have. There was a plan recently to ban selling alcohol at gas stations, but I think it didn't go anywhere
Isn't drinking alcohol in public forbidden in Poland?
Yes, it is, so you won't usually see someone downing vodka walking through town. Still, what that usually means is if you want to drink outside you just go to a place where there's not a lot of people around or where you know police isn't going to bother you. Drinking beer on a bench next to a residential bloc is not unheard of (guilty as charged here).