am i correct in saying that you cannot drink in a bar till you are 21 in america?

Question

if so how and why do you put up with it.

Answer 1

That is true. As a matter of fact, I worked at a restaurant/bar in Maryland and you cannot actually have anyone at the bar that is under 21. That is, if a parent sits at a barstool with their young child, you actually have to make the child and parent get up and move to a table away from the bar because that child is not allowed to be sitting there. It is actually the law that anyone underage can't sit there, whether they are trying to drink alcohol or not.

Answer 2

Not strictly speaking. It would be correct to say that you cannot LEGALLY drink alcoholic beverages in a bar under age 21 in all 50 states of the US. (As it is a state by state law, the federal government only influences it through blackmail. Also, I believe Puerto Rico's drinking age is 18.)

Just saying "America" could include all of North & South America as well.

Answer 3

The legal drinking age is 21. However, there is a law in Texas that if you are with your parents (with proof), they can buy a drink and share it with you. But that's only in restauarants, not bars, I think.

I did this with my parents when I was living in Texas. My parents taught me responsible drinking from the time I was 5, and when we went to restauarants, my parents would order red wine for all of us, and we could drink it. Sometimes they would allow me to have something different, like a drink that had Bailey's in it, or a margaurita (which I learned from the age of 12 I didn't like those...too sour!).

But basically the legal drinking age is 21. In your home...no one can stop you.

I never followed the drinking age with my family, because we knew what was acceptable and what wasn't, so I never had to 'put up with it'. Now I'm almost 22, with over a decade experience with alcohol, so I know what I like and what I don't, and I know how to avoid hangovers and public drunkeneness and such, so I don't act like a fool like some 21 and 22 y/o's do.

Answer 4

You are correct-- however, lots of underage college age kids die from drinking at frat parties or from falling drunk out of dorm windows ile drunk.
The deal is this-- bars assume some liability-- they can be sued for continuing to serve an obvious drunk.
Also, here in the US, most people don't have a friendly neighborhood bar they can WALK to or BICYCLE to, like Europeans-- no, here we have to get into our cars .
Now, follow my line of thought here-- when inexperienced drinkers and drivers hit the road, what happens??? They cause car crashes. Insurance rates go sky-high.
Most young people demonstrate very loud and clear their inability to drink responsibly-- everybody appears to want to be the street drunks of tomorrow.
At the university of Colorado in Boulder, it was the campus custom for a 21 year old (on their birthday) to down 21 shots.
Now, how dumb is that??? Many kids go off to college not even KNOWING that alcohol can kill them.
So, please keep these jerks out of the bars as long as possible- I hat watching them pretending to be adults, but acting like chimpanzees.
I cannot stand being around the young and stupid drinkers-- I think the drinking age should be higher than 21, actually. Keep the immature out of the general milieu.

Answer 5

Yes, you are correct. also, you cannot purchase alcohol at a liquor store until you are 21. Technically, its is up to each individual state to decide the drinking age, but the Federal gov't will pull federal Highway funding for sates that don't keep it at 21. Most put up with it by drinking underage anyway, and having people buy them liquor. It's the law...not much can be done about that.

Answer 6

The USA has the highest drinking age in the world except for Nepal. There is almost paranoia among politicians, police and many parents about drinking being forbidden for younger people instead of on moderate drinking education. It is a cultural thing. Of course it leads to much underage binge drinking and abuse. But it is politically incorrect to point this out.

Answer 7

Drinking age in the U.S.A. is 21 years old. In order to get federal funding for state highways, each state has to obide by this drinking law. Currently all states are participating.

Answer 8

yeah thats right and i dont like the law since i was a cocktail waitress at a gentlemans (yeah right) club at 18 and we werent legally allowed to drink but i did and they didnt say anything it is unfair that we can mix and serve but we cant drink they say its cause we are too young to be responsible with it but i never drove after drinking and never got drunk and do you know how many 40 yr old men we had to cut off and put in cabs cause they couldnt control their alcohol intake it was disgusting the law should be stupid ppl cant drink no matter what their age

Answer 9

You are correct. Most bars don't allow anyone under 21 inside.
What's the big deal about drinking in bars?
Are you not from the U.S.?

Answer 10

in Ohio, we voted to make the drinking age 19...about 20 years ago.

The federal government told our state to change the law to 21 or they would deprive us of our share of highway funds.. in effect.. taking away the states right to set the drinking age limit.