Does the underage drinking problem more or less common in the US than in other places in the world? The significance and extent of drinking problem in the US cannot be judged without comparison on alcohol use in other countries. Therefore, comparisons with other countries are especially valuable when evaluate the effectiveness of different policies. The chart below the international drinking age summary, which illustrates that the US is a minority of countries with drinking age of 21, and it shares this distinction with other five countries—Fiji, Indonesia, Micronesia, Palau, and Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the minimum legal drinking age in the majority of countries is 18 to 19 years old. Particularly, some countries changed their MLDA in recent years; for example, France increased minimum purchase for alcohol and tobacco from 16 to 18 in 2009; New Zealand reduced MLDA from 20 to 18 in 1999. And Canada implements two different drinking laws to different provinces; in province Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, the legal drinking age is 18, whereas in other provinces the legal drinking age is 19. In European countries, most of countries implement 18 minimum drinking law, but the UK is the only country that has a MLDA in a home. So, the research of comparison is usually conducted in Canada vs. the US, and Europe vs. the US.
Drinking Age: Canada vs. the US
The recent research provides the comparison of college students’ drinking habits in the United States and Canada, and indicated that more Canadian young college students drink, but Americans drink more heavily. The findings show that the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use is 92% in Canadian and 86% in American, and past year alcohol use is 87% in Canadian and 81% in American students. However, comparing with Canadian students, American has higher rates of heavy alcohol use (consuming five or more drinks in a row), 41% of American vs. 35% of Canadian have heavy alcohol use in the past year. ("U.S.-Canadian College Drinking ")And the research finds that heavy alcohol use is more prevalent among underage than legal aged students, as well as in both countries heavy alcohol use is more prevalent among students age 20 or less, which doesn’t matter the fact that the MLDA in Canada is 18 or 19 and in America is 21. As a result, the young people in the US consume more alcohol than the youth in Canada, and the underage age drinking begins earlier than it does in the US. Think of a scenario that a 16-year-old underage drinker in Canada is easy to ask their 18-year- old friend to buy alcohol drink, but a 16-year-old drinker in America is not as easy to find 21-year-old friend as Canadian because 21 year olds are not in the same peer group of a 16-year-old drinkers. The research also shows that youth who live on campus consume more alcohol than those who live with their parents. In Canada, most of students live off campus with their parents, and start consume alcohol at an earlier age, whereas most of students in America live on campus which lead to more consumption on alcohol.
Drinking Age: Canada vs. the US
The recent research provides the comparison of college students’ drinking habits in the United States and Canada, and indicated that more Canadian young college students drink, but Americans drink more heavily. The findings show that the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use is 92% in Canadian and 86% in American, and past year alcohol use is 87% in Canadian and 81% in American students. However, comparing with Canadian students, American has higher rates of heavy alcohol use (consuming five or more drinks in a row), 41% of American vs. 35% of Canadian have heavy alcohol use in the past year. ("U.S.-Canadian College Drinking ")And the research finds that heavy alcohol use is more prevalent among underage than legal aged students, as well as in both countries heavy alcohol use is more prevalent among students age 20 or less, which doesn’t matter the fact that the MLDA in Canada is 18 or 19 and in America is 21. As a result, the young people in the US consume more alcohol than the youth in Canada, and the underage age drinking begins earlier than it does in the US. Think of a scenario that a 16-year-old underage drinker in Canada is easy to ask their 18-year- old friend to buy alcohol drink, but a 16-year-old drinker in America is not as easy to find 21-year-old friend as Canadian because 21 year olds are not in the same peer group of a 16-year-old drinkers. The research also shows that youth who live on campus consume more alcohol than those who live with their parents. In Canada, most of students live off campus with their parents, and start consume alcohol at an earlier age, whereas most of students in America live on campus which lead to more consumption on alcohol.
The European vs. US Drinking Age
Many American youth are usually jealous of a culture in Europe since the majority of European countries have 18 drinking age law. An American college student traveling in Europe said: “The number of British, German Scandinavian and other teenagers stumbling into hostels at 5am in London, Paris or Prague is pretty overwhelming.” (Sopher) There is commonly held a perception among American young people that American youth consume more alcohol than European, and European teenagers perform more responsible behaviors than American. However, by most measures, European youth actually drink more and get drunk more, which happens earlier than American youth. In fact, a low drinking age in Europe gives young people a lot of opportunities to get out of control. This chart shows that the percentage of young people in 21 European countries and the United States reporting that they has at least one drink of alcohol during the past 30 days. Obviously, the US has a low consumption of alcohol comparing European countries.
Though those recent research showed that European teenagers have more drinking occasions than Americans per month, fewer dangerous intoxication occurring compared with American counterparts. The research indicates that in European countries about one in ten of all drinking occasions result in intoxication, and usually parents first introduced the alcohol to their children, but in the US parents do not have a right to afford this opportunity. As a result, the US’s underage drinking is not controlled
Though those recent research showed that European teenagers have more drinking occasions than Americans per month, fewer dangerous intoxication occurring compared with American counterparts. The research indicates that in European countries about one in ten of all drinking occasions result in intoxication, and usually parents first introduced the alcohol to their children, but in the US parents do not have a right to afford this opportunity. As a result, the US’s underage drinking is not controlled