Foreign drinking ages

[seal!]

What are the various drinking ages in different countries, preferably spain.

[andy hughes]

I assume you mean the age at which you can purchase alcohol in Spain, which is 18, the same ast the UK. Spain in common with most European countries have a very relaxed attitude to alcohol, it is seen as a pleasurable addition to an evening out, not a reason to get as slaughtered as possible as quickly as possible, as the British tend to do. For this reason, children often enjoy a glass of wine with meals from a relatively early age, so a drink is no big deal, and so they don;t suffer the binge drinking culture of the UK. That said, the Spanish are keen on manners, and frown on loutish and loud behaviour, especially from visiting tourists. The police are less inclined to reason with drunken yobs than to make their opinions felt with a truncheon-and-head interface, and suggesting that a policeman 'has a go if he thinks he's hard enough' will result in him proving that he will, and he is, and he carries a gun as well! Drink driving carries very severe penalties, so if you are going, behave sensibly, respect the country and the people, and you'll be fine. Act like a Chelsea headhunter on a Saturday afternoon, and you will not be happy with the reaction.

[sylvday]

Andy hughes may have provided a "politically correct" answer, but the truth is that over the last 30 years or so young people in Spain have begun to drink very heavily, and only recently have the authorities become concerned about it. A particular phenomenon in Spanish city centres is the "botellon" (ie "big bottle"), when young people - some of them barely teenagers - gather in their hundreds in the streets and squares, at weekends. Some of the kids buy drinks from bars (which stay open until 4 am) to drink outside, but many bring their own bottles of cheap spirits and mixers. I remember once being kept awake until the early hours in the beautiful, historic city of Caceres, because of all the botellon activity outisde my room; and I didn't notice any truncheon-swinging police!

[andy hughes]

My response is not based on 'political correctness', but on fact - the drinking age limit - and personal experience - i have been to Spain many times, and although i would not for one moment suggst that no Spanish teenagers behave badly, the loutish attitude, loud noise, and general ' can do what Iwant' behaviour seems to be reserved for the British, who gather together in packs at 'English themed' bars. If you mix with the Spanish away from the tourism areas, the atmosphere seems far more relaxed and civilised.

[sylvday]

Sorry, seal, that andy hughes and I seem to have taken over your question. I quite agree with him that when it comes to loutish behaviour, Spanish youngsters are well behind UK standards. But their drinking is clearly giving the Spanish authorities cause for concern, as evidenced on the following web-page (which is from 2002 - Mariano Rajoy was a Minister in the recent Aznar government) - http://www.ias.org.uk/publications/theglobe/02issu
e2/globe0202_p22.html

[andy hughes]

Thanks to sylvday for that informative response, and my apoliges as well to seal for our debate on his question site.

[darth vader]

in answer to the "different countries" bit - Holland doesn't have any drink-age laws (or didn't when i went there as a kid - has it changed?) so i got served lager in a bar at 13 years old