France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Greece all have a minimum drinking age of 18. Usually, when you check in at your hotel, an all-inclusive plan means you get a wristband. Use it to prove that you are over the legal age so you can order a drink easily and quickly. The legal drinking age is the minimum age to buy or drink alcoholic beverages. The minimum age for legal alcohol consumption may differ from the minimum age for purchase in some countries. During the colonial period under British rule, there was no drinking age. It was not uncommon to see young teenagers drinking in taverns. The United States has one of the highest legal drinking ages in the world. Critics of the amendment lamented the increase in alcohol-related deaths among drivers aged 18 to 20 in areas where the drinking age had been lowered. In fact, one of the results of states being responsible for their own age was the creation of “blood lines” between states that allowed 18-year-olds to drink and those that did not. Teenagers in the most restrictive state would travel to those where they could buy alcohol, drink and go home, creating a perfect storm for road deaths. Even though teenagers were no more predisposed than older adults to drive after drinking, this whole change in state meant that those who drove drunk had to travel longer distances to get home than their older brothers, who could simply slide down the block for a beer or six.

More miles by car meant more chances of drunk accidents. Since the end of prohibition in 1933, the state has frequently changed the minimum drinking age. Under the 21st Amendment, passed in December 1933, most set their legal drinking age at 21. 1933- Late 1960s: After prohibition. In December 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, repealing the ban. Most states set their drinking age at 21, but some set it lower. Only seven countries are as old as the United States, which begs the question: Why is ours so high? Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act in 1984, which sets the legal purchasing age at 21. It`s important to make sure your restaurant or bar complies with alcohol laws. This can help you avoid penalties or fines and perhaps prevent someone who isn`t old enough to drink from making a bad choice.

After all, some of life`s best things are worth the wait. Students hate the age of alcohol consumption, not that they keep it. About four out of five students drink alcohol, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. And more than 90% of this alcohol is consumed by excessive alcohol consumption. This limit remained constant until the late 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, many states have lowered the minimum drinking age to 18. University presidents who have supported the Amethyst Initiative — a movement launched in 2008 to rethink the national drinking age of 21 — admit that drunk driving is a serious problem, but they stress that it`s not the only potential pitfall for young drinkers. They argue that by lowering the drinking age, colleges would be able to bring alcohol outside and educate students about responsible drinking.

Such education could help reduce alcohol poisoning, drunk injuries, alcohol-related violence and alcoholism on campus. In Canada, there is no federal law setting a minimum age for drinking. Each province and territory can set its own legal drinking age. Germany is one of the most interesting countries when it comes to the minimum drinking age. It has one of the lowest minimum drinking ages in the world, allowing teenagers to drink alcohol at the age of 14 if accompanied by an adult. In short, we ended up with a national minimum age of 21 due to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act 1984. This law essentially told states that they had to set a minimum drinking age of 21 or lose up to 10 percent of their federal funding for roads. Since this is a serious piece, states have become similar quite quickly.

Interestingly, this law does not prohibit the consumption of alcohol per se; It only persuades states to prohibit the purchase and public ownership of persons under the age of 21.