ScottFromWI

Alcohol is sold literally everywhere here in Wisconsin, always has been. Grocery stores, Pharmacies, Convenience Stores, Even Walmart has a massive liquor section almost as big as a grocery store in itself.

I don't for a second believe that any of that was a factor in my addiction though. They could have banned it from every store and I still would have made it myself, or drove however long I needed to stock up and buy it. I started drinking long before I was legally able to purchase alcohol anyway, so I had to get it illegally anyway - and never set foot in a store to purchase it until I had been drinking for at least 6 or 7 years.

Addicts will find their DOC no matter what rules you make or how "available" it is.

MindfulMan

California has alcohol in supermarkets, so do a lot of states. Beer is sold everywhere.

Weed is 100% legal. Regulated like alcohol, for now it's sold in special stores.

There's a move to legalize psychedelic mushrooms, but I have a feeling that will happen in Colorado first.

Not clear why any of it matters.

Fearlessat50

I think we need to recognize our alcoholism as a problem that lies within our selves and take ownership and responsibility for it. At the same time, it doesn’t help that it is literally everywhere we go. It’s in every supermarket, every drug store, convenient store on every corner. Even Starbucks had it for a while where I live. And the advertising around all types of alcohol just adds to the problem and hugely normalizes excessive drinking. This all hurts people already struggling with addiction and recovery, increases denial of problem drinking and makes it easier to justify. With all the exposure in our culture, I worry about future generations and my own son as he enters the teenage years. So I do agree with both sides on this issue. I don’t think there are any easy answers though.

Fearlessat50

I think there is some analogy to food and everything else on the market. Unhealthy food full of sugar, chemicals, GMOs, dyes, etc is also everywhere. Yet I don’t think about that when I shop. I buy what is healthy for me and my family and don’t care about the rest. We are teaching our son that just because something is available, doesn’t mean it is good or right for us. We have to research and make responsible decisions about what we take into our bodies.