You don’t learn to be responsible around alcohol by not having any access to it and then being able to buy hard liqour right away. The stories i heard both about college drinking and highschool drinking from people who spent a year in the US were both hilarious and frightening. In Germany teenagers can buy beer and wine with 16. Hard booze and sweet drinks, where you don’t taste the alcohol are 18+. Most people are getting in touch with alcohol when they are 14-16 with their parents present. Having a glass of sparkling wine for new years, having a beer with their parents at birthdays etc.
This way people learn what they can and cannot take, how easy it is to get drunk on booze and how to look out for signs of having drunk too much. Without the criminal punishment, that the US loves to shove down peoples throat, they also feel safe to get help if someone is suspected of having alcohol poisoning.
You don’t learn to be responsible around alcohol by not having any access to it and then being able to buy hard liqour right away. The stories i heard both about college drinking and highschool drinking from people who spent a year in the US were both hilarious and frightening. In Germany teenagers can buy beer and wine with 16. Hard booze and sweet drinks, where you don’t taste the alcohol are 18+. Most people are getting in touch with alcohol when they are 14-16 with their parents present. Having a glass of sparkling wine for new years, having a beer with their parents at birthdays etc.
This way people learn what they can and cannot take, how easy it is to get drunk on booze and how to look out for signs of having drunk too much. Without the criminal punishment, that the US loves to shove down peoples throat, they also feel safe to get help if someone is suspected of having alcohol poisoning.