Alcohol Laws in Finland

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As you may have noticed by now, if you are following my blog, is that drinking in Finland is very common. But there are some strict laws in place to try and keep Finns safe and regulate alcohol sales in hopes of preventing alcoholism. In the past, Finns had very high rates of alcoholism, but the strict laws have regulated that more. So here is some information about the alcohol laws in Finland. 

Most grocery stores have beer and cider, but you cannot buy them after 9pm in all stores. The beer and cider must be bought in advance if you plan on drinking a lot. This prevents people from wandering around drunk trying to get alcohol in the middle of the night but also probably brings some peace to the store clerks of not having to sell alcohol to someone who is already wasted. Of course bars and clubs don't follow this rule. But if you're drinking at home, you need to plan in advance. 

Any alcohol over 5.5% must be sold in the Alko store. That means grocery stores only carry certain types of beers and ciders. This limits how much people can drink and how drunk they get. Instead, you can buy wine or spirits in Alko, which closes around 8pm or 9pm every night depending on the store. Once again this is to prevent people from last minute binge drinking and promote responsible drinking. 

Alcohol taxes are higher in Finland. Any can of beer is much more expensive than in other countries. That is probably why everyone goes to Estonia to get some drinks. Going to the bar is terribly expensive, but even buying alcohol in the stores is still expensive. The goal is to deter people from drinking by making the cost much higher. And in some cases, it works.