The U.S. drinking age is 21 primarily due to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which pressured states to raise the age from 18 (or lower) by threatening federal highway funding cuts, driven by research showing the link between lower drinking ages, increased alcohol-related traffic fatalities, and harm to young, developing brains. Activist groups like MADD successfully lobbied for this change, highlighting statistics on drunk driving crashes and the dangers of alcohol for teens.
Young people and particularly those under the age of 18 are vulnerable to the damaging effects of alcohol. In Australia alcohol is a key factor in the three leading causes of death among adolescents; unintentional injury, homicide and suicide.
After states raised their MLDA to 21 years in 1984, the percentage of people who drank before turning 21 went down. Young adults also drank less alcohol when states raised their MLDA.
The evidence strongly suggests that raising the minimum purchasing age for alcohol would reduce youth alcohol-related harm in Australia.
The US, along with only a handful of other countries, maintains the highest drinking age worldwide at 21 (known as the Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21, or MLDA-21).
The youngest legal drinking ages are 15 in Mali and the Central African Republic, though rules vary (e.g., off-premises vs. bars). Many European nations allow beer/wine at 16 (Austria, Germany, Belgium) but spirits at 18, while some countries, like Malta, have a unique age of 17, reflecting diverse approaches to alcohol control.
In 2020 officials discussed raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. In October 2019, the World Health Organization announced that Russia is experiencing a decline in alcohol consumption among its citizens and a rapid increase in life expectancy as a result.
In Australia, it's legal for a person under 18 to drink alcohol on private property. But in most states and territories, the person who gave them alcohol could be breaking the law – unless they're the young person's parent or guardian, or the parent or guardian has provided permission.
In 1973, the Australian Parliament amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and lowered the minimum voting age to 18 years.
Alcohol laws help to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on individuals, families and communities. Some laws, such as the legal drinking age, are the same across Australia. Other laws, such as where you can drink, are different in each state and territory.
“It's likely to be multifactorial,” says Ian Gilmore, chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, listing several potential reasons, including this age group being more risk averse and having more mental health problems and less disposable income than older generations.
In many countries, the age of majority is 18. In the United States, where the age of majority is set by individual states, "minor" usually refers to someone under 18 but can in some areas (such as alcohol, gambling, and handguns) mean under 21.
It's important that, if they ultimately choose to drink, they don't start until age 21—Not only is that age the law, research shows people who start drinking after age 21 have a lower chance of developing AUD compared with people who start younger. Even for adults, any amount of drinking could be harmful.
To encourage a national drinking age, Congress enacted the national MLDA. A review by the U.S. General Accounting Office, conducted in 1988, found that raising the drinking age reduced youth drinking, youth driving after drinking, and alcohol-related traffic accidents among youth.
Travelers to the U.S. should remember that the legal drinking age throughout the country is 21. Fake ID's have become a big problem with underage drinkers. If caught with one, there are big fines and potentially jail time involved.
At 18, your child can do all of the following:
The principal aim of the Act is to minimise the harm associated with the consumption of alcohol in South Australia. Premier Don Dunstan introduced the Age of Majority (Reduction) Bill in October 1970 and lowered the drinking age from 21 to 20 in 1968. By 1971, South Australia had a drinking age of 18.
The 1969 act, sometimes known as the Sixth Reform Act, did not extend the right to stand as a candidate for election to Parliament to under-21s. The age of candidacy for elections in the United Kingdom was lowered from 21 to 18 in 2006, with the passing of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.
In Australia, you're considered to be an adult when you turn 18 years old. But for certain things, the legal age can be younger. The information in this article is general, and laws differ from state to state. Laws also change from time to time.
The legal age for purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol in the United States is 21 based on the National Minimum Drinking Age Act that was passed in 1984. Underage drinking is a serious public health concern that contributes to more than 4,300 deaths each year.
No, you generally cannot work at BWS at 16 for roles involving serving or selling alcohol, as the minimum age to serve liquor is usually 18 in Australia, requiring an RSA certificate, though you might do other tasks like stocking shelves if local laws permit for minors. While some states allow 16-year-olds to handle alcohol for stocking under supervision, selling or serving directly requires being 18+.
Individuals under the age of 16 can consent to sexual activity if the other party is no more than two years older (the “close-in-age” exception). Once a person is 16 or over, there is no restriction on the age of their consenting partner, provided there is no relationship of care, authority or supervision.
Especially for people who hail from countries where drinking and smoking starts at 18, the age restrictions in Japan for buying and drinking alcohol, as well as the smoking age in Japan, may be surprising: You must be 20 years old and in possession of a valid ID (for foreigners, a residence card will do).
Russia and Australia have the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence overall, with 2.61 per cent and 2.58 per cent, respectively. According to the WHO, US has the lowest rate of alcohol dependence with only 1.92 per cent.
The legal drinking age in China is 18 years old.