Because make no mistake: as several scientific studies have already shown, no amount of alcohol is harmless. As they point out from the Mayo Clinic, a facility dedicated to medical dissemination, alcohol abuse can “increase the risk of serious health problems,” such as certain cancers, sudden death, pancreatitis, heart muscle damage, stroke, high blood pressure, liver disease, serious injury, accidental death, alcohol withdrawal syndrome and even suicide. Moderation of consumption is usually more difficult in adolescence due to the unawareness of the consequences. But the reality is quite different: the vast majority of bars and nightclubs, especially in summer, turn a blind eye and do not control the age of their young customers. And what`s worse, its customers are at risk because the quality of their alcoholic beverages is questionable in many cases. The most recent scandal was the case of a twenty-year-old British tourist who, after consuming alcoholic beverages of dubious origin at a party at a youth spot on the island of Zakynthos this summer, temporarily lost her sight and had kidney failure, so she was rushed back to the UK. No one knows how many young Greek miners end up in the hospital, because this is not news. According to statistics, around 55 million EU citizens have “risky alcohol consumption”, which is responsible for 7.4% of all expected health problems and deaths. In the 15-29 age group, 10% of female deaths and 25% of male deaths are associated with alcohol use; As a result, one in four traffic accidents occurs. The sale of alcohol to minors under the age of 18 is prohibited. From 18. Young people can buy alcoholic beverages containing a maximum of 22% alcohol. From the age of 20, you can buy any type of alcoholic beverages in the Alko (state stores).
In short, the ban on the sale of alcohol to minors under the age of 18 has followers and enemies in the country. On the one hand, there are those who do not see why the state should control the citizen even more, and on the other hand, there are those who demand more laws and controls, especially in the interest of the protection of minors. What most people seem to agree on is that a ban would be useless if it wasn`t accompanied by information and control, not just by the state. The fact that the brain continues to develop suggests that it is very sensitive to certain environmental factors. Among them, the harmful effects of alcohol on neurodevelopment. In Sweden, beverages containing more than 3.5% alcohol are sold in stores known as Systembolaget, which are a state monopoly. To buy in a Systembolaget, it is necessary to be over 20 years old, although you can drink alcohol from 18 years old in bars and restaurants, but consumption must be made on the spot. State stores close from 3 p.m. on Saturdays and don`t open on Sundays, so be proactive if someone wants to throw a weekend party at home. In Greece, the law is very strict and the reality very permissive: entry and stay in bars and other discotheques are prohibited, as is the consumption of alcohol by young minors. The only exceptions are if it is a private event or if you are accompanied by your parents or guardians.
The minimum age at which alcohol can be legally consumed may be different from the age at which it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary from country to country and many laws have exceptions or special circumstances. In this sense, he assured that he would take “appropriate measures in the search for a social, scientific and political consensus” to promote “a law aimed at preventing consumption by minors”. In our country and as in many other countries of the world, the minimum age for the legal consumption of alcohol is eighteen years. There are exceptions. As in the United States, where you have to wait until you are twenty-one years old. Or Canada, where in some states the age rises to nineteen. Or in Paraguay, where he did so until the age of twenty. In addition, and as they say of Drinks & Co, there are countries like Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria or the Nordic countries where they can consume certain drinks to a low or moderate degree such as beer or wine at the age of sixteen. After prohibition, almost every state passed legislation setting the legal minimum age of 21 for alcohol consumption.
However, between 1970 and 1975, 29 states lowered the legal drinking age to 18, 19 or 20, mainly in response to changes in the voting age. Studies conducted at the time showed that as states lowered the legal drinking age, the number of traffic accidents involving minors increased. In addition, the “bloody borders” between states with different legal minimum age limits for alcohol consumption have attracted public attention after the media widely reported some car accidents involving young people who have not reached the legal drinking age but have been able to drive in a border state of a lower permissible age, where they drink legally and have a car accident on the street. could cause. Go home. If by adulthood we mean “state or state of full development and maturity”, it is concluded that a person at the age of 18 years will have already reached this maturity. However, at the neurobiological level, this is not the case. Alcohol consumption by high school students decreased significantly: from 66% to 42% (see chart). Over the same period, binge drinking, that is, the consumption of 5 or more alcoholic beverages on a single occasion, increased from 37% to 24% among high school students (see chart). One of the most practical ways to reduce alcohol consumption was to increase the price of this substance. Some studies from the 90s showed that rising prices or taxes reduced alcohol consumption, especially among young people. In many parts of the world, it coincides with the age of majority (18 years); However, there are countries and/or regions where the purchase and/or consumption of alcohol is more restricted – the highest minimum age – or even more permissive – before the legal age of majority.
In Europe, espad (16-year-old survey on alcohol or other drug use) provides data showing a correlation between the increase in the legal age for alcohol consumption and the percentage of young people using this substance compared to countries of lower legal age. Yes. Injuries caused by adolescent alcohol use are not inevitable, and reducing adolescents` access to alcohol is a national priority. On the other side is New Zealand, which in 1999 lowered the legal drinking age from 20 to 18. This decision resulted in a 26% increase in accidents caused by young drivers. This is the real danger of drinking alcohol at a very young age. In addition, and as the Ministry of Health itself puts it, “adolescent alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of being dependent on it in adulthood” and affects their brain development, as “the adolescent brain is particularly sensitive to the effects of alcohol.” This also has implications in the social and formative spheres, as “violent attitudes, changes in family relationships, study problems and risky behaviours” can occur. Waiting eighteen years is the most sensible thing you can do.