We have already established that the drinking age in France is 18, but this has not always been the case. Prior to 2006, persons aged 16 and over were allowed to consume fermented alcoholic beverages such as beer, cider or wine. You can buy alcohol in any supermarket, supermarket or wine shop (but only until 10pm; 8pm in places where consumption is prohibited after 4pm). Some restaurants only have a license to serve alcohol with food. Minors are also not allowed to work in an establishment that sells alcohol. An exception to this rule is if the minor is a close relative of the owner of the establishment. Obviously not. The blood alcohol limit is 0.5, after which you are legally considered drunk. Alcohol consumption varies considerably from country to country, as does the legal drinking age. In the United States, you must be at least 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages (with some exceptions in some jurisdictions). Surprisingly, this is one of the highest ages in the world to drink. To the north of the United States is Canada, which has a legal drinking age of 18 to 19, and the legal drinking age is much lower in many other countries. In fact, some countries don`t have a minimum drinking age (although there may be a minimum age to buy alcohol) – although the vast majority of these countries still have laws on the age you need to have to buy alcoholic beverages.
Conversely, in some countries (usually under strict Muslim rule), alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. However, it should be noted that wine and other alcoholic beverages are usually consumed here with food as part of a meal. It is a criminal offence to consume alcohol in public or to influence alcohol. [113] Most European countries have set 18 as the minimum age for purchasing alcohol. Although Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Serbia and Switzerland (with the exception of Ticino) maintain a minimum purchasing age below 18 years, allowing minors full or restricted access to alcohol. In 2005[119], 2007[120] and 2015[121], harmonisation at EU level towards a minimum purchasing age of 18 was discussed, but not agreed. Another big difference between alcohol consumption in France and the United States is the age of drinking. As I mentioned earlier, in France, you can drink beer, wine and cider at the age of 16. Then you can drink all the alcohol from the age of 18. Young people under the age of 18 could soon lose the right to drink wine in France as a new law would tighten restrictions on alcohol sales.
Of course, driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal (and dangerous), and if someone is arrested for drunkenness, they risk fines of up to 150 euros. The maximum permitted alcohol content for drivers is equal to three (8 ounces) halves of beer, two glasses of wine or three glasses of champagne. The police may search minors in public places and confiscate or destroy alcoholic beverages in their possession. Incidents are reported to the legal guardian and child protection services, who may be involved in child protection proceedings. In addition, a fine is imposed on persons aged 15 and over. [167] It is important to remember that if you want to legally buy and consume alcohol in France, you must be 18 years old, or 16 years old if you want to have a drink or two and be with adults/in a family environment. I hope you now have an idea of the drinking age in France, as well as some knowledge of the usual alcohol laws. If you want to know more about French culture, visit our French culture page. This doesn`t surprise me in the least, as the French relationship with food and drink tends to be balanced and moderate. There are people who abuse alcohol in France, but it is interesting to note that, although it ranks first among European countries in terms of per capita wine consumption, it is among those with the lowest rates of alcoholism. However, the study is somewhat vague.
We do not know when or why the young people surveyed consume alcohol. Do they drink illegally or socially, or do they just have a glass of wine at family dinners? Perhaps surprisingly, a 2018 report by the World Health Organization concluded that 57% of the world`s adult population (or 3.113 billion people aged 15 or older) had not consumed alcoholic beverages in 2016. In fact, 44% of adults worldwide had never consumed alcoholic beverages. Thank you for that, very interesting, well documented. I was researching the laws on legal age and alcohol, as I myself live in France with 2 teenage girls. Fascinating that alcohol was still served in high schools until 1981, I didn`t know it! I love living in France and from an English speaking point of view – full of surprises! Before 2009, it was legal for 16- to 18-year-olds to drink “fermented” beverages such as cider, wine and beer, but the laws have changed, and now it`s 18 for all alcoholic beverages. The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age at which alcohol can be legally consumed may differ from the age at which it can be purchased in some countries.
These laws vary from country to country and many laws provide for exceptions or special circumstances. Most laws only apply to alcohol consumption in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home generally unregulated (an exception is the UK, which has a legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic beverages. [1] Most countries have a legal drinking age of 18 or 19. [2] When you think of French alcoholic beverages, the first thing that usually comes to mind is wine – whether or not you know the age of consumption in France. And for good reason! Drinking and driving is a crime in France. The limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per liter of blood, which corresponds to about half pints of beer, 2 glasses of wine or 3 glasses of champagne for an adult male. For example, this site on alcohol consumption in France, dated early 2020, contains interesting and useful statistics.
But as you read, you realize that since the site is linked to the public health department, the article was set up to warn people about alcohol abuse. In Greece, there is no legal age to consume alcohol, but the legal age to buy alcohol or alcohol in public places is 18.