Why are liquor stores considered essential?
 

Liquor stores in my state remain open as they are deemed essential.

Thoughts?

I figure the gov. does not want the extra hospital visits from addicts cut off.

Same with pot shops in my state. That is deemed medicine though.

Yes - for those dependent it could mean a stroke or seizure if they were forced to suddenly withdraw.

In addition to withdrawal, I think there is also an element that they don't want crime rate to increase due to closing down the liquor stores. People breaking into the stores, selling illegally etc. Same for cannabis in the regions where it is legal.

I actually said the exact same thing to my husband yesterday, I think that’s the reason too Abraham.

Liquor stores are also considered essential in Utah, a pretty conservative state. It's probably necessary for the reasons listed above.

As we learned in Prohibition, outlawing alcohol does not stop its consumption. Along the lines of Aellyce's comment, burglaries are up 87% in Seattle since businesses closed due to the lockdown.

True on the crime part also. We dont want to degrade into looting and home invasion like on the movie contagion.

Besides alcoholics going through withdrawal, people would probably start making and selling there own. Health hazard

I stopped to get bread and milk at the corner store, which sells booze and cigarettes and lotto too. Rode my bike up, vehicles have been parked for days, heavenly. Anyways the owner and I were chatting and he said, he lives above the store - old general style place, he wouldn't be able to sleep if they closed liquor stores, people would be breaking in.
They also have a sign up, to please purchase multiple weeks of lottery plays to reduce the risk of transmission and need to come in.
I said I wouldn't shop anywhere that sells alcohol during this, unfortunately my desire to stay within my own area, like within 10kms, over takes my desire to not shop where alkies shop.
-Simply to do with immunity, alcohol interferes with the bodies natural immunity. I can see a virus finding a more welcome host in an alcoholic and I think back to my drinking days, I frequently felt ill and had x, y, and z symptoms, but always managed to get my bottle.

For me, that they kept liquor stores open as essential tells me that people who depend on alcohol exist in much greater numbers than we admit to. Although we in recovery admit we have a problem with alcohol, there are so many more "normal drinkers" out there who are also depending on it and apparently can't take it or leave it, just like us.

Most people aren't alcoholics
Most people can buy and keep alcohol around
It's a revenue stream up and down the chain- an example of a business that can be privately owned.

I don't blame the Man, if you will, for any of the economics around alcohol sales and distribution. It has nothing to do with my alcoholism.

Because the last thing hospital's need right now is alcoholics going through withdraw.

In addition to the reasons cited above, an article I read pointed out that health care systems as a whole don't have capacity to deal with the surge of medical crises lack of alcohol would create and that there is a fear that people might seek out alternative (illegal) means to get their fix.

That's tragic in all directions, not the least of which is keeping our societal problems right where they are.

Every night on my 3.5 mile walk, I stroll by an essential auto parts store. Eh, I guess sometimes those auto parts are essential. Keeps some of these mechanical wrecks running, at least for now. For a drunk trying to stay out of hellish withdrawal symptoms and not about to quit yet, a liquor store probably qualifies as well.

Yes, plus people may start drinking from all sorts of other sources, even if legal, that are not made for that and some seriously toxic.

Evidently Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream stores are also deemed essential in my area. Not everyone that consumes either or both (alcohol & ice cream) has a problem as a result of consumption (although I had problems with both); but even so, I fail to see them as essential.

Both are primarily consumed for recreational (?) purposes. For the most part both have zip-a-dee-doo-dah nutritional value, so the outside possibility of essential doesn't fly in that direction either. I fail to any essential qualities to either and this not from a moral, nor judgemental, nor philosophical point of view so much as a head scratching one.

But then decisions about what is essential and what is not, were made by humans!!! Shows how silly ass I am to expect logic :~)

This exactly. In our state it is run by the state. Big source of revenue and tax dollars. Not to mention jobs.

I have a friend whose hub works at the liquor store and he says they are running out of vodka because people are using it to make hand sanitizer. Oh my.

Yeah, I'm not one for the hospital theories some have shared. Again, most people aren't alcoholics and I honestly don't think concern about us quitting and being in w/drawal is a top concern on the radar.

nez- I so wish that Baskin Robbins was considered essential here!