How we get hammered: The European vs. U.S. drinking age
By Christopher Sopher
Many Americans idolize a culture where Europeans—accustomed to alcohol after years of experience in their teenage years—supposedly know how to avoid binge drinking, alcohol poisoning and hazy nights of bad judgment. It’s a particularly popular topic of conversation among 19-year-old college students, waiting in grocery store parking lots for older friends to bring out cases of beer. “The drinking age is so stupid,” they say. “If only it was like it is in Europe,” suggesting with little sense of irony that, were the drinking age lower, they would both drink more moderately and enjoy the new found freedom to buy $11 cases of Natural Light.
In theory, it’s a winning idea for all involved. Young people can drink earlier in their lives, which promises more of the freedom from judgment and reason teenagers desire. Parents can believe their children are getting important early experience that, as in any other sport, helps them become better players—and helps them get a head start on the 10,000 hours of practice Malcolm Gladwell says are necessary to become an expert at something. And the data shows many European and American young people are already well on their way.
But the evidence also suggests the differences between how young people drink in Europe and the United States aren’t nearly as great as we imagine—and the generational changes are tremendous. By most measures, European youth actually drink more, get drunk more, and do so earlier in life than their American peers (though in certain settings, such as colleges and universities, American youth still lead the drinking world). And there’s surprisingly little evidence that introducing young people to alcohol earlier or lowering the drinking age does anything except lower the age at which young people start to drink.
“The number of British, German, Scandinavian and other teenagers stumbling into hostels at 5 a.m. in London, Paris or Prague is pretty overwhelming,” said one American college student traveling in Europe, who asked not to be named discussing drinking. “Lax drinking laws, a low drinking age, and a plethora of discos, bars and clubs give kids a lot of opportunities to get totally out of control.”
Survey data and the concern of European officials support her observation. A 2008 survey found that “while young people in most European countries are drinking less frequently than their parents and grandparents, they are consuming more alcohol each time they drink,” which is similar to the U.S. trend of infrequent but heavy drinking. Data from major surveys compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the U.S. had lower rates of drinking and binge drinking among 15-16-year-olds than every European country except Turkey (which, as a predominantly Muslim country, has strong cultural stigmas against alcohol).
“Drinking to get drunk” has become much more common in Europe over the past two decades, with several surveys reporting a growing number of teenagers and young adults who say they drink for the “buzz” or to “get [insert your favorite term for drunkenness].”
“Binge drinking culture is definitely growing in Europe, and alcoholism has always been a problem,” said Charles Pellegrin, a French graduate student who has lived in several countries.
Traditionally beer-orie
nted countries such as the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Germany lead the statistics on youth drinking, drunkenness and alcohol-related problems—but wine countries appear to be catching up as French, Spanish and Italian young people choose beer and liquor over wine, and choose it in larger quantities.
Several Spanish and American students I interviewed discussed the trend of “botellon,” (literally “big bottle”) where Spanish teenagers sit outside in parks or on the street and drink together. This summer France has been overrun by the phenomenon called “apéro géant” (“giant aperitif”), where thousands of young people gather in flashmobs in French cities to party and drink very, very heavily.
All of this suggests that the merits of a lower drinking age and of early familiarization with alcohol might be something of a myth, too. In many European countries, the discussion about binge drinking is focused on 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds, not college students. Many European authorities are encouraging parents to take a more active role in educating their children about, and discouraging them from, drinking.
“I think that a lower drinking age just causes binge drinking a little earlier,” said one American student who studied abroad in Spain.
The evidence suggests that the differences in drinking culture between American and European youth aren’t as tremendous as we often assume. And in a globalized world where you can buy a Bacardi Breezer in 30 languages, that isn’t surprising. The differences seem more subtle, more cultural.
“Much like in the U.S., there are parties that result in people being a little too drunk,” said the American living in Switzerland. “I think that is the same across the globe, but here in Europe, alcohol is less frowned upon. But I can say for sure, when kids celebrate their sixteenth or eighteenth birthday over here, there is no focus of, ‘Yes! Now we can drink!’”
What are your experiences with European and American drinking culture? What are your thoughts on the drinking age?
Photos by Fernando Ariotti (top) and pixel0908 (bottom)
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[...] Originally Posted by syracusa Are you saying European high-school kids drink more than the American kids? Well…hmmm…come think of it, yes! It makes sense given American high-school kids are not allowed to drink AT ALL. Until the glorious "drinking age" arrives and then it's Binge Drinking World War 3 in American colleges. Young continental Europeans drink infinitely less than Americans, on average. (Save the British and Scandinavian parts, of course). I used to think that too, but it turns out to be a myth. http://www.udetc.org/documents/CompareDrinkRate.pdf According to statistical data, 35% of American adolescents drank in the past 30 days. The only country that had a lower rate was Turkey with 20%. Likewise, only 22% of American adolescents drank heavily in the past month; again, the only lower rate was 15% in Turkey. Half or more of adolescents in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Isle of Man, Ireland, Malta, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom drank heavily in the month that passed before the survey. Even 39% of Greek youth, 34% of Italian youth, and 28% of French youth reported heavily drinking in the past month. Also see: How we get hammered: The European vs. U.S. drinking age | The Next Great Generation [...]
Hmmm… I don’t know… Why I don’t doubt the research, I do think, from experience, that a lowered drinking age does help a person gain a respect for alcohol and drinking it in moderation.
In Switzerland, the drinking age is actually 16 for beer and wine and 18 for hard liquor, which I think is a great system. By the time you get to be 21, you’re already a very responsible drinker (most people, anyway).
The only thing that really, really sucks is coming to college in the U.S. after being legal for three years and then having another few years to go before being allowed to drink again… I was pretty sad between the ages of 19 and 21.
Does a lower drinking age help people “gain respect for alcohol and drinking it in moderation” better than our higher drinking age does? Or does it just help them develop that trait sooner?
Also (this is in general, not just to Alex), do you think part of it is just that “teenagers will be teenagers” — forbidden or legal, we get the chance to drink, and we’re going to go crazy. I don’t know why; maybe because it still feels like rebelling?
As a side note, I grew up in Buffalo, and the big deal for us was our 19th birthdays because then we could just drive the 20 minutes across the border to Canada and drink there legally. The only problem was being sober enough to get back through customs.
Teenagers in Germanic countries (that more or less includes Switzerland) are taught moderation and responsibility. Not by preaching, but by seeing their parents empty a bottle of wine and do nothing stupid.
I’m new to central/southern Europe (Munich), and I am amazed how nice and relaxed this place is. One of the reasons is that drinking culture. It almost feels like you’re expected to get tipsy, but not very drunk though!
PS Can you imagine that at Oktoberfest there’s more than one roller-coaster and nobody gets hurt?
idots create idots and beer is thier god
…then all Bavarians must be complete morons, because they drink at every possible occasion, and Oktoberfest is your spring break, but with adults on the scene. Remember, those are the guys that design and build your BMW and your Airbus. Despite the rivers of wine and beer, there’s no drunk driving ending in lethal accidents, nor any aggression in the streets. How could that be with the drinking age at SIXTEEN?!
I think that the earlier someone is taught to drink the more they learn about alcohol so they are accustomed to drinking alcohol more moderately and responsibly without having alcoholic problems in the future.
when children grow up drinking a glass of wine around the table it gives them a taste of alcohol along with a taste of being older so they understand how it feels, but american teens are restricted from this so their brain wonders about it until they grow older and by then, when their teens, alcohol is a long grasp away that they have to reach because its like a toy they were never able to experience that they’ve always wanted to….
so the drinking age should be lowered in order to already give younger kids an experience with alcohol so they are not yearning for it in the future..
I believe that a lower age limit is better. In Denmark we also have so-called at-risk teenagers and generally they are the sober one who choose to isolate themselves from the general community.
Some even form gangs and use weapon against bikers which have been targeted in a number of one-sided attacks without a known reason.
I have children and I am happy to announce that they started to drink alcohol when they were confirmed and are now responsible drinkers who don’t mix drinking and driving.
I am from the United States and I strongly believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18, and even perhaps allow younger teenagers to drink moderately under the supervision of their parents as many countries allow in Europe.
From personal experience, my friends and I are always trying to find ways how to get alcohol, and constantly thinking about the next time we can get “drunk.” Many of my friends and classmates drink very irrisponsibly, and I believe it is because teenagers in the US are never taught “how” to drink, rather, only “not” to drink; which only puts the image of this “forbidden fruit” in our minds and makes us want it even more. Once we finally get a hold of alcohol, we go crazy and often get out of control. If we were introduced to alcohol at an earlier age, and taught the responsible way to consume alcohol, this irrisponsibility could have been prevented.
I second that emotion
Once we turned 18, it was much less cool to drink. Once you can buy it legally, you’re not breaking the rules, you know you will be held responsible for your drunken stupidity – it takes half of the fun from it. You can no longer boast how much you got drunk, because now everybody can do it. We were also “better drinkers” – since you don’t have to hide it anymore, we’d drink slower and with more food. It’s way less damaging than the quick chug behind the shop or gas station.
US could start lowering the age for weak wines and beer. Canada has more liberal drinking laws, on the same lines as Europe, and nothing bad happens.
I grew up in Russia, and, strangely enough, never had any interest in alcohol.
I recall the legal drinking age back then was 21, and there was shortage of alcohol, among other things. To buy a bottle of wine, people had to stay in line for hours, and when you finally get to the counter, it was “one bottle per pair of hands”. Students weren’t that patient and had better things to do, I guess, so the unavailability of alcohol, not the drinking age, played a role. Another major turn off for me was the image associated with alcohol consumption: Russian drunks, mostly middle-aged men who’d drink non-stop for several days, were so ugly and repulsive, with almost identical swollen and disfigured faces, semi-human eyes, incoherent speech, aggressive and verbally abusive to strangers, that even the thought of doing what they did was disgusting.
Images have great influence on youth. Projecting an unhealthy and destructive behavior as un-cool could have a greater impact than changing drinking age, or making alcohol/tobacco/drugs less affordable or illegal.
Where?
Woohoo lets get wasted!!! yah im only 4
Disagree with the comment regarding drinking in Russia. Drinking in Russia is very much like it is in any European beer drinking country like the UK and Ireland. Infact beer consumption has also increased and now many Russias drink beer other than the typical vodka along with other commerical/western drinks Corona, WKD, even here Serbia we get all European style drinks. Never seen alcohol being limited because of lines outside stores which sell alcohol, we buy alcohol like anyone else from a Supermarket at a petrol station etc. Russia is not as alian as you suggest. Then drink with friends, family, strangers, girls or even enemies and do shit.
Any statistic given by the US Department of Justice is greatly skewed to show that the United States drinking age is rightfully justified, and the European countries have bigger problems than the United States, when non-governmental studies find the opposite, and find a more relaxed culture that practices moderation with their liquor.
Lowering the drinking age in US would help in my opinion.
First of all, to get people off drugs – after all, alcohol is less dangerous, if not beneficial to health.
Second, when teenagers are allowed to buy beer (not liquor), then they don’t cling to each occasion like it’s the end of the world. They don’t have to get wasted. Here in Germany I often see a couple of teenagers carrying a case of 12 beers. At first sight I was shocked, but then simple math does it: it comes to 3 bottles per head (4 smaller American ones). Is that a lot for an entire party? I don’t think so.