ZOE Hughes was a devoted mum-of-two battling a heartbreaking addiction that was “enabled” by delivery apps – and it eventually killed her.
Her younger sister Alexandria told The Sun how the 35-year-old was ordering booze “around the clock” with up to seven bottles of wine a day shipped to her house via JustEat and Deliveroo. And now she warns there needs to be an urgent change to protect struggling people like Zoe.
Alex Hughes wants tighter restrictions on delivery apps Credit: John Aron
Zoe, 35, began buying up to seven bottles of wine a day on JustEat and Deliveroo after she moved to a place by herself in 2023 Credit: SWNS
Zoe, right, pictured with her sister Alexandria Credit: SWNS
Zoe’s drinking escalated dramatically over three to four years before her death, beginning as casual drinking but spiralling into severe alcoholism, despite therapy and rehab.
The 35-year-old, from Lincoln, began buying up to seven bottles of a day at the height of her addiction, ordering straight to her door through JustEat and after she moved to a place by herself in 2023.
The devoted mum-of-two from Lincoln, , struggled with alcoholism and was spending up to £1,500 a month on the apps.
She tragically died at home in July 2023, with the coroner recording her death as misadventure.
And in the seven months leading up to her death, she had been spending a small fortune – around £7,000 – on alcohol and cigarettes using the apps.
Alex, an cancer navigator, says her sister would have never gone to a shop to buy that much – with the apps’ convenience meaning she didn’t have to get ready or leave the house.
Instead, she quietly suffered from her addiction at the tap of her phone screen and drank alone at home.
Alex said her sister was even being contacted by delivery drivers who kept her contact information in a gross violation of privacy.
They reportedly sent Zoe wine, flowers and chocolates – and one driver even sent her a card saying he loved her.
Alex has blasted this as a “shocking abuse of access to a vulnerable woman” – and said it showed how some people could be exploited.
Alex, 31, told The Sun: “When I went through her things after she died, and before that too, she had pictures of things drivers had sent her.
“There were flowers, wine, chocolate and cards. One driver was saying he loved her.”
Akex is petitioning for delivery apps to introduce safeguards to protect addicts from temptation and make it harder for them to drink too much.
She thinks apps should allow people to declare they are alcoholics in order to block alcohol advertising and offers – similar to systems used by platforms.
Alex, an NHS cancer navigator, says her sister would have never gone to a shop to buy that much alcohol Credit: John Aron
Many apps now offer food deliveries from supermarkets and corner shops, with alcohol able to be purchased freely.
Drivers are expected to perform ID checks to check proof of age – and firms insist that delivery staff must act responsibly and report customers who pose a safety concern.
Alex told The Sun she doesn’t blame the apps for the death of her sister, but does think they “enabled” her alcoholism.
She says: “She was ordering from them 24 hours around the clock.”
‘Addicts always find a way’
Alex added: “There is nothing on these apps, no protection.
“It’s not the apps’ fault. I’m not blaming them for my sister’s death – some people have said that is what I’m doing, but I’m not. But it did contribute.
“My sister was an addict, and addicts always find a way. I know that.
“It’s obvious if someone is an alcoholic or not. You or me wouldn’t be ordering five bottles of wine a day.”
On an app, she didn’t have to get ready or leave the house. It’s just greed for these companies – it’s sad. But there is a person on the other end of these orders
Alexandria Hughes
Zoe’s death isn’t an isolated case.
Firefighter Glenn Perkins, 55, died from alcoholic liver disease after ordering dozens of bottles through delivery apps.
His daughters said he was surrounded by , spirits and empty bottles at home, as they pleaded with apps to blacklist him.
He ordered booze several times a day, starting from as early as 6am, with his family saying “something needs to stop”.
“You shouldn’t be able to keep ordering alcohol over and over again throughout the day.”
Since starting her petition , Alex has been contacted by other families who have gone through the same thing.
Firefighter Glenn Perkins, 55, died from an alcoholic liver disease after ordering dozens of bottles through delivery apps Credit: Cover Images
His daughters said he was surrounded by beer, spirits and empty bottles at home, as they pleaded with apps to blacklist him Credit: Cover Images Campaign for change
Alcohol Change UK is calling on the Government to introduce modern, practical and proportionate safeguards that reduce avoidable harm. These include:
- Robust age verification and intoxication checks – both at point of ordering and point of delivery, with delivery drivers given enough training, time and support to carry these out.
- Make it easier for individuals, and their family members, to ‘block’ their own access to ordering alcohol on delivery services like apps and supermarket accounts – just like existing gambling blocks, these need to be robust and not easy to over-turn.
- Introduce a ‘pause’ – enable a generous pause between ordering and delivery of alcohol when the order is over a certain amount.
- Reduce the hours that alcohol can be delivered directly to our home – for example between 10am and 10pm.
“On an app, she didn’t have to get ready or leave the house. It’s just greed for these companies – it’s sad. But there is a person on the other end of these orders.”
She points out that cut punters off if they drink too much, but no such safeguard exists on delivery apps.
“It’s a maker for these companies. Delivery apps make it possible to continue drinking heavily without ever stepping outside.”
‘Convenience has a cost’
Alex now works with Alcohol Change UK to call for better safeguards.
Research by the found 43 per cent of people who struggle with a drinking problem are ordering booze online every week.
Around seven million people said they have ordered alcohol while already drunk, despite it being illegal to knowingly sell or deliver alcohol to a person who is drunk.
Alex added: “No one asks questions about whether you’re in the right state to be accepting the delivery.”
Dr Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK, said: “Rapid alcohol deliveries are causing harm across our society, with around 12 million people now ordering alcohol via these services weekly.
“This is not a niche problem. Rapid delivery has quickly become a part of daily life in the UK and a significant driver of dangerous alcohol consumption.
“Too many are falling prey to round-the-clock access through these services.
“Convenience has a cost – rising harm to the nation’s and wellbeing, hampering efforts to drink less or stop drinking alcohol, and destroying the peace of mind of loved ones.
“It is essential to ensure age and intoxication checks happen 100 per cent of the time, that we limit the sale of alcohol at certain times and allow people to block themselves from ordering alcohol via delivery services.”
The devoted mum-of-two from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, struggled with alcoholism, and spent up to £1,500 a month on the apps Credit: SWNS
Alex said Zoe was even being contacted by delivery drivers who kept her contact information Credit: SWNS
Alex says there could also be a block on alcohol-related offers and deals.
“Alcoholics don’t think in the same way as you and me; it takes very little.
“There is nothing on these apps, no protection. No one asks questions about whether you’re in the right state to accept the delivery.
“Zoe didn’t have to leave the house, get ready for the day or see and interact with anyone, and became more and more isolated as time went on.
“Since my sister died, I have been in contact with other families experiencing the same thing. One mother recently showed me an email chain where she asked Deliveroo to permanently terminate her vulnerable daughter’s account.
“They would only agree to a suspension which would automatically reinstate after 30 days, or if they were contacted by her daughter to have the suspension lifted.
“How is that protection?”
A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “Any retailer selling alcohol on the platform must adhere to the same licensing, marketing and regulatory restrictions as in-store, and riders are trained to conduct necessary checks at delivery, which includes refusing a delivery if a customer appears already drunk.
“We also have a specialist policy to suspend or close customer accounts when legitimate welfare concerns are raised by friends or family.
“We believe it is important to strike the right balance, and ensure we have right safeguards in place, without restricting customers’ ability to purchase a legal product available on the high street.”
A spokesperson said: “We take these matters incredibly seriously and have robust processes and policies in play to ensure any alcohol delivered via the platform is done so legally and responsibly.
“Additionally, we can provide extra support by blocking accounts or addresses, and we would urge anyone with specific concerns about a loved one to get in contact with us via customer service.
“Whilst drivers are independent self-employed contractors, we take any reports of misconduct extremely seriously and will ban drivers from working on the platform as is appropriate – we are urgently investigating with the information that has been shared with us.”
Where to get help if you think you have a drinking problem
If you think you might have a problem with booze then you may need to seek help.
This might be the case if you often feel the need to have a drink or if you get into trouble because of your drinking.
If other people have warned you about your drink and it’s causing you problems then a good place to start is your GP.
There are other places you can go to get help:
- Drinkline: Call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm).
- AA – a free self help group that follows the 12 step programme
- Al-Anon Family Groups – a group for friends and family members impacted by drinking
- We Are With You – for individuals, families and communities struggling – call 0808 8010 750 – if you’re over 50 and worried about booze
- Adfam – local support groups and message boards
- National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) – call 0800 358 3456
- SMART Recovery – to help people discover if they have a problem
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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