Going to America in a few weeks and am wondering how we will
survive if we cant get beers/wine etc.
We're both 19, knowing the law is 21 in America & hearing
their very strict what we want to know is can you get around
this like in England by drinking with your meal (In England
you only have to be 14+ to be leaglly allowed to consume
alchohole in a restraunt but 18 to be served at a bar)
will we be served alchohole with food or is it 21 again?
If not please please give us some of your ingeneouse litttle
plots on how you got served in the US.
Cheers
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Same law for restaurants and bars. If you can't go without
liquor at your age stay at home and get treatment.
Alchohole? Does that rhyme with a..hole? You can do what
the locals do here. Hang out around the corner and pay a
wino to go in and buy you illegal hooch. You takes yer
chances that he makes off with yer money and booze and
leaves yer pathetic sober self adrift. Children yer age
should be in skool lernin 2 spel. I think alcohol has
already messed with your brain cells, mate.
It's 21 everywhere, and it is probable that you will always
be carded. The only way around it is a fake id, which I
would highly reccomend for your trip. Alcohol aside a large
part of American culture would be missed if you couldn't get
into a bar for live music and such.
Dear Mg & Sb:
I personally feel the posters #1 & #2 are wankers! now
that I got that out of the way, lets get on with your
question.
I grew up in USA so I feel your pain.......getting into
bars will be a problem because pubs can loose their beer
license if caught serving to minors.
My advice to you is.........Firstly, Don't drink and
drive because you may be deported or something worse. Given,
that Americans love others from foriegn countries, I would
befriend locals and just ask them to help you out and you
shouldn't have a problem......Of course, use Common Sense!
Good Luck & Have fun in the U.S. of A.,Party on dudes and be
SAFE!
Cheers,
Yankee
Hello, Like mentioned above, drinking age is 21 regardless
of whether or not you are eating a meal.
There are clubs that let all ages in, over 21 get a stamp
on their hand to drink.
Here's what it's gonna come down to-you take your chances.
I grew up in NY City-before we turned 21, my friends and I
would go to a bar/club and hope we wouldn't be carded.
Sometimes we would, sometimes we wouldn't. Being a visitor
may work to your advantage-just claim ignorance.
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!! In NY, if you are caught driving
while intoxicated, your car will probably be seized. Big
trouble!!!
Are you going to be in New York City? Let me know if you
need some night life suggestions. I'll be glad to help.
As an American solider, 19 years old, and member NATO Allie,
I could be sent to the front lines in the TRAGIC Kosovo
region
and be killed without ever setting foot in a pub or having a
legal drink! Go Figure?
Food for thought...........
What does that have to do with anything? You also can't
smash windows, steal, push old ladies down stairs, or beat
your mother. Why? Because it is against the law. You are a
volunteer soldier, not a draftee; why would you fight for a
country you do not respect? Why do you think you should be
allowed to break the law? My grandfather fought the Nazis
in World War II, but if he broke the law he would go to
jail or be fined. Isn't that what you are fighting for? The
rule of law.
I's a shame that you are fighting for my country and not
being able to drink. It's ridiculous to have the age of
responsibility and not taking alcolhol. I hope in some way
you can have a excemption for fighting men because the tools
of fighting and killers are more vicious than in the past.
In behalf of the American people I toast to you. Life is too
short for rule of law.
I's a shame that you are fighting for my country and not
being able to drink. It's ridiculous to have the age of
responsibility and not taking alcolhol. I hope in some way
you can have a excemption for fighting men because the tools
of fighting and killers are more vicious than in the past.
In behalf of the American people I toast to you. Life is too
short for rule of law.
My advice on the ORIGINAL POST (sorry, it's just a pet
peeve of mine to watch people disrespect the original
poster's wishes by going off on a political/ideological or
such tangent. There are OTHER THREADS for that!)
ANYway, [mops brow] my advice is to get yourself into an 18
and over club, and bribe the over 21s in the place to buy
you a drink. They buy you one, then you give them the $$ to
go back and buy themselves one. Always worked for me.
And yes, as far as getting booze (as opposed to entering
clubs), just loiter near a liquor store and ask somebody to
buy it for you. No problem if you're gracious and smile a
lot!
Have a great trip!
Drinking age is 19 here.
Can you get some convincing ID to bring with you? I think
there is a company on the web which may even be in the UK
IIRC which specializes in official looking ID.
To Killjoy
I think that you've lost the plot. Bashing grannies etc is illegal for all people regardless of age. What the soldier was saying is that it is ridiculous that he is considered old enough to go to war but not to buy a drink.
Try logic not emotional mumbo jumbo...
There's really no point in encouraging tourists, especially
foreigners, to break the law. It's bad enough when an
American gets caught (fines at a minimum of US$250), but it
will be entirely worse if a foreigner is caught. They
could face being deported and having their passport stamped
persona non-grata. After that, try ever getting into the
U.S. again. Your best and safest bet is to hold off on any
potentially illegal activities and just enjoy your trip to
the States without any alcohol. I'm sure you can do that.
I think I got the point of his argument. I just happen to
believe it is a faulty argument. One can make the argument
that the drinking age could/should be lowered; however, the
Soldier's point was that he, as a soldier, should be exempt
from the current law. He seems to equate his military
duties with a right to consume alcohol. I agree that in
most aspects he is treated as an adult. He is given
tremendous responsibility and is asked to perform under
life-threatening conditions. Even if I detest war, I
respect his patriotism and self-sacrifice. However, I also
respect the law. I understand the young soldier's
frustration, but the law has a purpose and is, by and
large, a reasonable law. The young should not be allowed to
consume alcohol. Most adults should not be allowed to drink
alcohol for that matter. Drinking at a young age may cause
problems in later life. Our culture has glamorized alcohol
and drug use, and problems with abuse have increased among
the old and young alike. The law acts as a counterbalance.
I, therefore, do not think one can say that the law is
absurd, even if there are some contradictions in its
application. We live happily enough among many
contradictions and paradoxes.
Please be realistic and not such an old stick in the mud!
Remember what it's like to be 19 and thirsty? It's all very
well to preach "just enjoy your time here, you don't need
alcohol to have fun" -- PLEASE!! Any normal 19 yr old wants
to drink, in whatever country they live or visit. And
he/she will do so, risky or not. There's always a risk, but
getting caught with a drink when you're underage will have
you booted from the bar, nothing more. If they brought
every youngster caught boozing/trying to booze to the
police, they'd have a full time job on their hands. Fake
IDs are spotted all the time -- I've seen it happen, and
they just won't let the poor fellow in. Simple as that.
Don't be so melodramatic and silly!
When you are doing your soldierly duties there is a chain of supervision and responsibility, so your are not on your own. If you screw up, as teenagers frequently do, your supervisors will be punished for your failures, which also become their failures. When you drink there is no similar chain of command and responsibility and thus no confidence that you will not screw up. Thus, no alcohol for persons demonstrated by painful and long experience to be unable to use it without bing a problem for themselves, their unit, and the population in general. I know, there are pilots and tank drivers out there who are less than 21, but the chain of command and responsibility reasoning stands.
First, let me say that if you get caught drinking in a
restaurant, not only you will be fined and other troubles,
but your server can get arrested, fined US$1000 and lose
their job permanantly. No matter what do, NOT drink and
drive. And, if you truly need to get alcohol in the US, try
finding a college town on a weekend and find the local keg
party and you can get all the beer you can drink for about
US$5
You only have to be 19 in Ontario (18 in Alberta, and 14 or
16 in Quebec). You cannot drink if you are 18 in the US,
but you can buy a gun anywhere. Go figure!!!!!!
If so, just flirt with the bartenders or bouncers and
you'll get served with no problem. It's easier in the rural
towns...they need your money!
not really, but the local attitude is relaxed enough that many 14 to 16yr olds don't get challenged for pretending to be 18. from BC to quebec working east, the age in canada is 19/18/19/18/19/18. if they threaten to deport you for the horrendous crime of ordering a beer in buffalo, just walk across the bridge in time for last call in fort erie.
The drinking age is far to high in the USA.
Basically, before you are 21, you catch bullets for your country, but you can have a beer with your steak.
Despite the fact that the US has one of the highest drinking ages in the world, it also has one of the highest rates of alchoholism, and also alcohol related violent crimes. Why is that? Perhaps that is part of the American way: Prohibition for some, Reckless imbibing for others. What should we do you combat the abuse of alcohol in the states? Make the drinking age so high that even our friends Killjoy and Kickstart couldn't drink? Would that solve the problem? The simple fact of the matter is, an American 35 year old is just about one tick more mature than an American 20 year old. Perhaps the problem is the high drinking age itself.
People under 21 drink anyway. But, because its illegal anyway, it becomes reckless. And that translates into reckless adult consumption.
To our Brit friends, I truly and sincerly apologize that the US is still recovering from our Puritanical streak. I suggest:
1. Just drink coke. May I point out that American beer is the most foul, close-to-water beer on the planet, anyway?
2. Do what nearly every American teen does and get a fake. People at clubs and bars don't really give a fig if your ID is legit or not. Just as long as it looks ok and it has the right b-day on it, their butt is covered, because they checked your id with "good faith."
3. Don't listen to the scare tactics. Just don't show your fake to an officer of the law who also happens to have your passport (uh... they probably won't even notice, unless your fake says: "FAKE ID with UNMATCHING BIRTHDAY" on top). Even if someone spots your ID as a fake, they probably will just confiscate it: make sure you don't have your actual address/name etc. on it.
The preferred option is, of course, number 1; but I know what is was like. Despite our other plusses (and what those are slip my mind right now) America has really a really crappy drinking age.
As soon as you bat your eyeslashes at those bouncers and
give them a good healthy dose of your accent they'll let
you in...! Party party party and don't let those sticks in
the mud rain on your parade!
If you do get in, ask for microbrews (i.e. good locally made
American beer.) The commercial stuff, as you may know, is
made by taking dog piss and toilet bowl water and adding a
small quantity of actual beer.
If you don't want to answer the post, then don't bother. Who
died and made you these peoples' parents. Did you somehow
skip youth and go right into being a preachy whiner?
The drinking age is probably why drugs are so common, they
are much easier to buy than alcohol when you are young,
here.
When I was underage, a good tip was going to the licquor
store and waiting until you saw someone of age and bribing
them to get you your stuff. Also, when we went to the
grocery store, if you chose "grown up" licquor or wine that
is at least $12/bottle they were less likely to card- get
some food too.
Talk to the locals, of course. Their are lots of strategies.
I also found that the international grocery stores were more
likely to sell you alcohol, too.
the worse the neighborhood the more likely they will
sell.But, you should probably not be walking around there.
some places will take your foreign ID others won't. There
are some clubs, more often with live music that give the
drinkers wrist bands, then you need to offer to share a
picture of beer if a 21+ will get it and bring to darkly lit
table. College towns = no problem. Or if you see the
freakier looking crowd, we usually help out our kind (read:
purple hair, tattoos, piercing) Afterall, how many
undercover cops have pierced tongues. the goth crowd is
usually quite helpful Cute accents do go a long way.
cheers!
To the geezers. Do you really think a bunch of backpackers
are going to have a car to drive, anyway? But if you do,
they are right don't drink and drive. that ends my
preaching.