we never really fully lifted the shackles of alcohol restrictions. we still have rules around who can sell it, where, what time of day...
one of the major things that's been done is a functional return of prohibition of alcohol sales in public spaces. they sold it to you as a public health measure, but there was never any science underlying it. in fact, the arguments you're hearing about restricting alcohol sales today are eerily similar to the ones you heard 100 years ago, not something coming from any reputable scientific source.
when we look around us, we need to be conscious of what's just happened - and how hard it may be to undo.
but, the first step is awareness. and, as the vaccines roll out, they're going to run out of excuses to push these baseless & unscientific rules down on us, and we can only hope it leads to an awakening.