Alcohol under 21

[scarecrow]

Thanks for the replies. He's currently studying to be a cop, so I needed to be sure what the law was over there.

I've just told him and his reply was, well we'll just have to go back in 2 years then! Think I've created a true Disney junkie.

[Ridersmom]

People under the age of 21 are not allowed to consume alcohol-in your home or in public. While I cannot imagine the police invading a home if a teen is served a small glass of wine with dinner, if that teen then goes out and is found to have been drinking, the parents can (and often will) be subject to a criminal offense (name varies from state to state) and can also be held civilly liable if the child (usually under 18) does any damage having consumer alcohol. IN some states for any guest who leaves the home inebriated.

Do not allow your 19 year old to drink, especially in restaurants.

Remember some of our Puritan heritage remains.

[scoobydooby]

My 19 year old is majorly sulky about this for our next holiday! We will keep to the rules and anyway he’s not a huge drinker but is obviously annoyed he is to ‘treated like a child’ 😂 That said. I simply do not believe 18-21 year olds don’t drink in private in the USA.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by scoobydooby

I simply do not believe 18-21 year olds don’t drink in private in the USA.

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They do and some of them get caught. Then they get prosecuted for "possession" even when they have drunk it.

The law says:

Penalties for Underage Possession. In Florida, possession of an alcoholic beverage by an underage person (a minor, juvenile, or other person under 21) is generally classified as a second degree misdemeanor. The penalties for such an offense include a maximum of 60 days jail or six months of probation, and a $500 fine.

So let him sulk - it ain't worth taking the risk.

[duchy]

If he's sulking over not having a drink for two whole weeks... maybe he's not mature enough to be drinking anyway !

[coggie]

Last year a friend of mine was stopped in Walmart by a member of staff because her 18 year old son was pushing the shopping trolley and it had beer and wine in it...she was told they weren't allowed to do it.

[scoobydooby]

Originally Posted by duchy

If he's sulking over not having a drink for two whole weeks... maybe he's not mature enough to be drinking anyway !

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How friendly and judgemental of you. But no. It was a jokey comment about my lovely, mature 19 year old who drinks responsibly and contributes extremely positively to the world around him. Should he need maturity lessons though I’ll be sure to know where to send him thank you 🙏

[JAF]

Originally Posted by scoobydooby

My 19 year old is majorly sulky about this for our next holiday! We will keep to the rules and anyway he’s not a huge drinker but is obviously annoyed he is to ‘treated like a child’ 😂 That said. I simply do not believe 18-21 year olds don’t drink in private in the USA.

See more...

The drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984 and states were told unless they increased the minimum age to 21 they would lose 10% of their highway funding - so they raised the age to 21.

You are right American children do drink and the authorities are aware of it. When our son attended UM we had to take out their overpriced insurance policy and although he was under 21 we had to cover him for alcohol rehabilitation despite him not being old enough to drink.

President Bush had a 'few' problems with his twin daughters and drink - washingtonpost/wp-srv...174147_000.htm

[Ridersmom]

18-21 year olds do not legally drink in private in the states. like I said, the police are not going to charge into a home and charge the nineteen year old for sipping wine at dinner. BUT if the 19 year goes out and gets in an accident, the person who supplied the drink may find themselves liable.

Are there underage drinkers in the US? Of course, just as I suspect there are in the UK. But that doesn't mean violating the law is a good idea. And restaurants and stores tend to strictly enforce the law. Not only because a young person's health and safety may be at risk but violations can result in suspension or revocation of a liquor license.

When you visit a country you accept their laws. You don't have to like them or agree with them but you do have to obey them.

[YorkshireT]

Oh the days of the ' international driving license' where the old gal in the AA shop handing them out failed to cross reference your year of birth... That was a life saver for me when I first went to the States.