If you’re not too obsessed with whatever you’re doing on your smartphones – and take a look around with your wonderful eyes, you might find an interesting phenomenon. Empty “mini” liquor bottles of booze. Everywhere you look. Like worse than cigarette butts back in the 70’s.
Almost anywhere you go – it does not matter. You will find an empty “airline bottle” each and every time provided you’re aware of your surroundings.
It’s amazing – like some kind of event you cannot “unsee.” Once you put this on your visual radar – you will indeed see them everywhere you go.
Take a walk anywhere along Route 22 – east – central – west. You will find them every time without fail.
And it doesn’t necessarily need to be near a liquor store either.
You will find them every single time you look!
Who drinks these “airline” bottles? When? Where? In their cars?
More importantly, is who drinks these tiny (much less affordable per unit) bottles of booze?
We always thought either homeless people or folks down on their luck. We also see some people (men mostly) buy these to incorporate into their beers. Perhaps those landscaping crews after their shifts are over? We’ll have to ask around more after this article to get more details (“deets” as millennials like to say).
Here’s a relevant quote from an online liquor store (Ace Spirits out of Minnesota):
“Looking for 50ML bottles for airplane travel, stocking stuffers, or your “cuteness overload” collection? Shop all of the miniature liquor bottles available at Ace Spirits! These miniature liquor bottles are airline safe, cute as all getup and easy to throw a few in your pockets for cheap drinks at the club! You’re welcome!”
(I would bet $100 that a female wrote that. Either that or an overly effeminate man…)
So it seems that a lot of people “sneak” these into clubs? So instead of paying $10 a drink, they bring in $0.99 airline bottles? Seems like an odd life to live.
But besides clubs and “cute,” why are they littering the landscape we live in? How desperate do you need to be that you can’t wait until you get home? (Unless it’s hell?)
Parking lots.
A more dangerous question – how many people are driving drunk?
Like I said – we see these everywhere we go. It’s so common that I don’t think people realize what that means. They see these things like any other roadside or curbside litter. “Plain old litter.”
We now see it as – “Wait a minute! if all this booze is being thrown on the streets – how many people are driving under the influence?”
Is life so crappy they need to guzzle high-octane liquor from airline bottles “on the go?” Is it that great?
Should we try it one day too? Are we missing out on something fun and exciting? (answer: no.)
I’d like to see this littering just once. We have never in our lives actually seen this happen “in the flesh.” Are these people so skilled at getting rid of their garbage that there are never any witnesses?
Either way – for the most part – we rarely see a crazy drunk driver among us. I like to think that most people are now responsible for their own lives – and try not to be careless with the lives of others (especially 2,000-pound vehicles of death). When we do see someone “under the influence,” it’s usually an older person coming home from the restaurant with maybe a glass or two of wine in them. You can tell when someone’s reflexes are a bit slower. But no precarious situations as of yet!
It would be nice to get to the bottom of this phenomenon. Is it one big thing – or just lots of little stories that accumulate into a pile of alcoholic refuse?
Does anyone know?
In the bushes.
NJ Route 22 Comment Section