drinking age

[applebee]

What is the drinking age in the UK? Do different parts vary?

[Froggy_Queen]

Legal age for buying alcohol is 18, average for starting to drink it is about 13.

[applebee]

wow, lol, thats a bit funny...and shocking :0 Is it 18 all over the UK???

[shaneystar2]

Persons aged 12 and over can have a meal with beer, cider or wine in a restaurant or in a pub with an area specifically set aside for meals, providing it is eaten with a person aged over 18 present. Liqueur confectionery sale and consumption age is 16. Otherwise the minimum purchase and drinking age in "relevant premises" is 18.
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/alcohol/alcoho l_law2.shtml

[Ethel]

In some countries it is 20!

In the United States of America you must be 21.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_ag e

[Jules001]

some places won't sell to 18 year olds even with ID as my son will testify, he tried to buy some last weekend at a petrol station and was refused as they only sell to over 21's

[doglady]

I tried to buy beer the other day and the jumped up little shop boy refused to sell me any without ID even though I'm 26 and married!!

[ugly_bob]

Jules001 - I think the garage got the wrong end of the stick on the new government ID campaign there! They encourage people to ask for ID if the person appears under 21, but they only need to prove they're 18.

[bookermel]

Dog lady, take that as a compliment, its a long time since anyone asked me for id. I use to get refused also oh those were the days!!

[Foxybox]

Aye, doglady. I'm 27 and occasionaly still get asked for ID. They generally apologise when they see my drivers license but frankly I could kiss them.