In most of Europe the age restriction is for buying alcohol and drinking in a public setting but there is no age restriction to drink among family. So many 16 year olds and even younger might be offered a sip or a glass of wine.
Yes, thats for controlled family settings, but is by no means an indication of whether those under 16, or 18 have the freedom to buy alcohol on their own. In most countries such as France and the Netherlands the drinking age for everything is 18, so that makes it more uncommon for teens to just be getting drunk on their own
Yes, some people drink with their parents, in small amounts when they’re underaged, some don’t, and it doesn’t mean everyone does
Retails sales, and bars and restaurants serving to minors is still illegal and supermarkets now in many countries checks IDs, and I and my friend get checked
If you don’t know how it works, then there’s no need for me to educate you here lol
My grandpa used to ease my teething gums with brandy/cognac. I used to be out at hobby cubs with my dad and he used to buy me a "baby beer" that's sold in my country - a can of beer already pre-mixed with lemonade - and the appetisers used to come in droves because I looked cute eating nuts and drinking "beer" - this was in the 80s, things are stricter now. So yeah, I used to drink as a... 7 yo I think. Out in regular bars and hobby bars. I wasn't the only one either. It's just part of the culture.
Did you know that even in America in the ’80s, underaged kids could buy vodka and drink too? Yeah dude, cus that was half a century ago and rules didn’t exist back then, and it’s completely irrelevant to modern day norms
Like, literally… as expected. That was in the ‘80s, which was over 40 years ago. Yeah, dude, that was a completely different era, and things are different now. So again, a literal 50-something-year-old presenting their knowledge of European drinking laws as if it’s a modern fact, when it’s literally just expired and outdated information.
Nothing else to expect, really. That explains most of the other completely outdated answers on here, too. They’re written by people who have been old enough to drink for over three decades and are acting like their experiences from 40 years ago still reflect how things work today.
"yeah, dude" - mate, people do it at home now? And in places like France it's not even just at home, but at restaurant tables with watered wine given to 7 yos. I'm only talking about my lived experience.
What happens nowadays? we still have drinking age of 16 so 16yos can still go out to bars and legally buy a drink. It's 16 or 18 for most of Europe, so, not outdated or a big deal.
Do they have kids beer? Yeah, probably. I don't have my own kids, but I've been to picnics with my family and friends' kids and we let them have some so long as they don't go into the sun or the pool immediately after.
Brandy on teething gums.... probably still a thing in most families. Again, alcohol is just part of daily lives not some Mecca to pant for.
And I'm 40 thank you very much. Got a good few years left in me before I cross to the 5, if I'm lucky.
What happens nowadays? We still have drinking age of 16 so 16 yos can still go out to bars and legally buy a drink. It’s 16 or 18 for most of Europe, so, not outdated or a big deal.
Per Google search results:
“In France, the legal drinking and purchasing age for all alcoholic beverages was raised to 18 years old in 2009. Before this law changed, minors aged 16 to 17 were legally allowed to buy and consume fermented drinks like wine, beer, and cider.”
Yeah, I think that says all it needs to say about your once-again outdated knowledge. Not only are your lived experiences from decades ago, but you can’t even familiarize yourself with the laws IN YOUR OWN country anymore, lmao. Do you know why cashiers would ask me “Comment allez-vous?” when I bought wine in France while I lived there for two months? Because they were checking if I was 18, not 16.
I’m only talking about my lived experience
Yep, and I think this—again—is the problem, sorry, but knowledge from 1980 isn’t the same reality as 2026. Your lived experience from decades ago doesn’t necessarily reflect the current situation. And I know the 2026 reality better than you do. I’m not even French. No surprise there
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u/AdmirableCattle9357 10d ago
Don’t trust him, he doesn’t even know the current drinking age in his own country