It may seem surprising to find out that the
legal drinking age in many countries around the world is 18. Indeed, this may come as a surprise to many people. After all, France historically has been a nation of wine-lovers, and for that matter, other drinker's. You might have also heard that in fact there is no legal drinking age in the country at all! And you would definitely not have been right a few years ago! However, when it comes to binge drinking laws, France hasn't changed much in any interesting or unexpected ways. For one thing, the legal drinking age is set at 18, and this is actually the same as the age of majority in the country. In addition, the government has made it illegal to make available to minors alcoholic beverages. This means that no minors are allowed to purchase alcohol in France. Interestingly, there are also some interesting legal loopholes in the way that bars are monitored. So, if a person can purchase a bottle of alcohol from a bar, and they are over the age of 18, then they might actually be able to drink at a bar without having to worry about getting into trouble with the police. Interestingly enough, this legal age for drinking applies to the whole of France, and not just to the French residents. That's because alcohol is banned in many other countries around Europe, and it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to buy, consume or sell alcohol in most of these countries. The French enjoy a level of liberty versus other European countries, yet they also understand that drunkenness, or even the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol, can cause some real social problems down the line. To this end, many French bars and restaurants will make all of their serving alcohol available to customers at the legal drinking age of 17. They may also offer special discounts to students on campus and to young professionals. All in all, being a resident of France and enjoying freedom of choice in alcohol purchases does help protect French youth.