Therefore, you cannot buy beer if you are a native German or if you arrived after the legal drinking age of 16. Selling or buying alcohol to someone under the legal age in Germany is illegal. However, you can still buy alcohol if you are 16 years old and do not have ID with you. Only beer and wine are allowed. Only between 10:00 and 21:00 you can buy beer and wine. In addition to the legal drinking age, the law contains provisions for various other matters, such as: The legal drinking age in Munich is the same as in the whole of Bavaria and the entire state, where there are three different laws on the age of alcohol consumption. Because of the moral panic related to excessive underage drinking (a 16-year-old boy died after consuming 45 shots of tequila in a bar in early 2007),[3] some people have called for raising the drinking age. Most politicians, however, opposed this idea, instead pointing out that such use was already prohibited by the existing law, which only had to be enforced. [4] In Germany and Europe, alcohol consumption by young people is traditional and generally accepted. [5] The rest of the world may consider the legal drinking age in Germany to be somewhat lax, but that doesn`t mean you should allow children or minors under your protection who are of appropriate drinking age under German law to go ahead and consume alcohol. “German society as a whole does not have a positive image of excessive alcohol consumption, but in general there is a growing awareness of the dangers of excessive drinking,” said Gabriele Barsch of the German Center for Drug Addiction. “If you drink especially when you`re under 18, it can cause massive damage because brain development is still ongoing during those years,” Lang said. Due to the fact that the legal drinking age in Germany is only 16, citizens of this country can buy alcohol at a younger age than in many other countries.
As a direct result, Germans have a varied selection of alcoholic beverages to choose from, including the famous German alcoholic beverages. Here are some of the most common types of alcoholic beverages offered in the era of alcohol consumption in Germany: Given that the legal drinking age is low by global standards, it is obvious that the German government needs to address the problem, as there is clearly a link between alcohol consumption at a young age and the persistent social problems in the country related to alcohol consumption. In Germany, it is legal to consume alcoholic soft drinks such as beer and wine at the age of 16, while hard drinks such as spirits and liquors are only allowed to adults over 18. So don`t be surprised if you see teenagers drinking a beer – it`s probably legal. But it also provides a framework for regulating consumption in public places such as pubs, restaurants, clubs, etc. The rest of the world may think that the legal drinking age in Germany is somewhat lax, but that doesn`t mean you should allow children or minors under your protection who are of the appropriate age to consume alcohol under German law. The main purpose of these German laws is to protect young people from excessive alcohol consumption which, if left unchecked, can leave these teenagers out of control of their senses. These laws do not prevent them from drinking alcohol, but help them to have an appropriate approach to its consumption. Barsch said she would like to see the minimum age for buying and consuming alcohol raised to 18. According to the Youth Protection Act, beer, wine and wine-like beverages may not be sold to children and young people under the age of 16. The minimum legal age for spirits is 18.
What would you do if you got a bottle of alcohol or beer at your door at a very reasonable price like water? Do you let your children consume it or do you think about their age first? Well, in Germany, alcohol consumption is a very common and normal practice, unlike other countries like India. People can buy alcohol anywhere, anytime without restrictions. The only requirement is the legal drinking age. LawSikho has created a telegram group for the exchange of legal knowledge, recommendations and various possibilities. You can click on this link and register: Health activists, backed by the World Health Organization, have been lobbying the German government for years to change Germany`s alcohol laws, especially with regard to the legal drinking age. The Youth Protection Act therefore covers all three alcohol laws in Germany. You should be informed of the specific laws on alcoholic beverages enacted by the German government before drinking such beverages. In Germany, for example, people must be at least 16 years old to legally buy and consume alcohol. It is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages in public places, including parks and streets. If you violate these guidelines, you may be fined. In 2008, the Land of Lower Saxony launched a series of trap purchases by specially trained police cadets aged 16 or 17 posing as customers. In 77% of the tests, alcohol was sold illegally in stores, gas stations and kiosks.
In 2009, about 3000 trap purchases were made in Lower Saxony, in 1327 cases (44%) alcohol was sold to minors without age verification. Hundreds of summary proceedings have resulted in fines ranging from €500 to €3,000. The standard rate for the illegal sale of a bottle of spirits is 1500 euros. Thus, purchases of alcohol traps bring in about 2 million euros annually. Other Länder, notably Schleswig-Holstein, are considering implementing the Lower Saxony model, but states such as Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Baden-Württemberg oppose it. Similarly, alcohol also hinders the brain`s communication pathways. While one or two drinks can make a person looser and more relaxed, continued consumption leads to symptoms such as slurred speech, dark thoughts, and poor decision-making. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to additional complications such as vomiting, memory loss, drowsiness on fainting, and in extreme cases, alcohol poisoning.
Finally, long-term excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to serious physiological conditions, including (but not limited to) pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, liver disease, hyperglycemia, cancer, and various neurological disorders. In Germany, you can also consume alcohol from the age of 14 in the presence of a parent or guardian, but the purchase of spirits containing more than 1.2% distilled alcohol is only allowed from the age of 18. Alcohol consumption varies considerably from country to country, as does the legal drinking age. In the United States, you must be at least 21 years old to buy or consume alcoholic beverages (with some exceptions in some countries). Surprisingly, this is one of the highest ages in the world to drink. In the northern United States is Canada, which has a legal drinking age of 18 to 19, and the legal drinking age is much lower in many other countries. In fact, some countries don`t have a minimum age to consume alcohol (although there may be a minimum age to buy alcohol) – although the vast majority of these countries still have laws on the age you need to buy alcoholic beverages. Conversely, alcohol consumption is completely prohibited in some countries (usually under strict Muslim rule).
The study recently published by Lancet indicates that lifestyle-related risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity caused nearly half of cancer deaths in 2019. Risk factors differ globally depending on environmental and economic conditions. Keep in mind that driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal in Germany. If you are found guilty of this, you will have to pay a fine and your driver`s license could potentially be revoked. If you intend to drink alcoholic beverages in Germany, make sure you do it responsibly and don`t indulge yourself too much. As parents, we should all understand what is best for our children and we should be able to make our own family decisions accordingly, but always with our children`s health at the forefront of every decision we make for them.