A little trip to Safeway today with my husband brought home to us the difference between here and what we have left behind as far as alcohol is concerned. We know that it is illegal in the US for anyone under the age of 21 to consume alcohol but we weren’t prepared for what happened at the checkout.

It seems Safeway here takes no risks.  As  the young man at the till processed our purchases he came upon the one bottle of white wine we had put in our trolley and mumbled to my husband “ID please”. Nothing happened. My husband carried on loading our purchases onto the moving belt. Again, but a little louder, “ID please”. Nonplussed, my husband looked quizzically at me. In clear and concise English I said “He wants to see your ID- to check you aren’t underage” and then...I burst out laughing.

For heaven’s sake, the man at the till only had to look at him to know that he has long ago seen 21, and indeed 31 and, dare I say it, 41. He is a father of 3. He even has a fair few grey hairs. What on earth was the young man thinking of asking for proof of age?! Is there no leeway for discretion? No possibility of engaging eyes and brain and coming to the only logical result?

I asked the man packing our purchases (yes they do it all for you here) why my husband, who so clearly has not the slightest hope of being mistaken for an underage drinker, was being asked to show proof of age. He said all employees selling booze had to verify the age of the customer and that my husband and I (were it to happen to me), should take it as a compliment. “Look at it the other way”, he suggested, “Some people are offended if they are NOT asked for proof!”

Well I get the point, but surely this is doing things strictly by the book with no injection of common sense whatsoever.

As we drove off my husband reminded me of just how very different booze-soaked Britain is to here. We now live right by a university, a stone’s throw from campus, but we have yet to see even one drunken student.

What a contrast to the binge drinking culture of Blighty. Look at the draft government proposals outlined in the weekend Sunday Telegraph. Something has to be done to curb the excess drinking so

Ministers have drawn up a draft code of conduct for the drinks industry and the new rules would be compulsory, replacing a previous voluntary code. Bar owners would come under legal requirements to train bar staff not to serve under-age customers or drunks.

Needless to say the drinks industry is unhappy about the proposed introduction of a legally-enforceable code, along with the suggestion of banning the current custom of offering free drinks to female customers.

The draft code also warns that drinks must not be promoted with claims that they will enhance "social, sexual, physical, mental, financial or sporting performance". That could mean an effective ban on cocktails with suggestive names. Bars would also be prohibited from promoting drinking games that involve consuming alcohol at speed, or testing how much a person can drink. The pub industry has told the Government that enforcing the new rules would devastate the sector.

But the 24-hour drinking culture so prevalent in England has had such devastating consequences, which police and A & E departments have to cope with every weekend, that it's not surprising that at long last the Government feels it has to act.

While the drinks industry screams blue murder to stop any restrictions on the free flow of alcohol, perhaps they should take a leaf out of Safeway’s book – it might be objectionable, laughable, embarrassing to be asked for proof of age, but at least it sends out a crystal clear message about responsible drinking.