Editing Legal drinking age (section)

{{Short description|Minimum age at which a person can legally purchase or consume alcoholic beverages}}
{{Multiple issues|{{More citations needed|date=July 2021}}
{{Update|date=July 2023}}}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Drinking Age - Global.svg|thumb|'''Minimum legal age to purchase alcohol by country:'''<br />{{legend|#4a4a49|Prohibited at any age}}{{legend|#27a9cd|25 or older}}{{Legend striped|#27a9cd|#fc8d62|25 (supervised drinking/fermented alcoholic beverages from the age of 21)}}{{legend|#fc8d62|21}}{{Legend striped|#fc8d62|#66c2a5|21 (supervised drinking/fermented alcoholic beverages from the age of 18)}}{{legend|#c962fc|20}}{{Legend striped|#c962fc|#66c2a5|20  (supervised drinking/fermented alcoholic beverages from the age of 18)}}{{legend|#8da0cb|19}}{{legend|#66c2a5|18}}{{Legend striped|#66c2a5|#a6d854|18 (supervised drinking/fermented alcoholic beverages from the age of 16)}}{{legend|#e78ac3|17}}{{legend|#a6d854|16}}{{legend|#FFF37A|15 or younger}}{{legend|#c0c0c0ff|No regulation/no age set}}|alt=]]
The '''legal drinking age''' is the minimum age at which a person can [[legally]] consume [[alcoholic beverage]]s. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between countries and many laws have exemptions or special circumstances. Most laws apply only to [[Drinking in public|drinking alcohol in public places]] with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated (one of the exceptions being England and Wales, which have a minimum legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different [[List of alcoholic drinks|types of alcohol drinks]].<ref name="IARD" />
{{Youth rights sidebar}}

The majority of countries have a minimum legal drinking age of 18.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/drinking-ages-around-the-world.html |title= Drinking Ages Around The World |last= Misachi |first= John |date= 21 December 2020 |website= Worldatlas.com |access-date= 7 July 2021}}</ref> The most commonly known reason for the law behind the legal drinking age is the [[Long-term impact of alcohol on the brain|effect on the brain]] in adolescents. Since the brain is still maturing, alcohol can have a [[Effects of alcohol on memory|negative effect on the memory]] and long-term thinking. Alongside that, it can cause [[Alcoholic liver disease|liver failure]], and create a [[Long-term effects of alcohol consumption#Hormonal imbalance|hormone imbalance]] in teens due to the constant changes and maturing of hormones during [[puberty]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm |title=Underage Drinking |publisher=National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism |date=January 2006 |access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> Some countries have a minimum legal drinking age of 19 to prevent the flow of alcoholic beverages in [[secondary school|high schools]],<ref>[https://ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/CCSA-Impact-Effectiveness-MLDA-Legislation-2017-en.pdf The Impact and Effectiveness of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Legislation in Canada] ccsa.ca</ref> while others like the [[United States]] have a minimum legal purchasing age of 21 (18 in [[Puerto Rico|P.R.]] and [[USVI]]) in an effort to reduce the amount of [[Drunk driving in the United States|drunk driving]] rates among [[Adolescence|teenagers]] and [[young adult]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/minimum-legal-drinking-age.htm#:~:text=A%20Minimum%20Legal%20Drinking%20Age,United%20States%20is%2021%20years | title=Minimum legal drinking age of 21 saves lives &#124; CDC | date=19 April 2022 }}</ref>

There is a concept called [[underage club]]s, where individuals below the legal drinking age are catered for and are served non alcoholic beverages.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Are teen clubs safe for kids? |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2004/03/04/are-teen-clubs-safe-for-kids/62000320007/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=7 September 1962 |title=Youth: Teen-Age Nightclubs |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,870130,00.html |access-date=1 May 2024 |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X}}</ref>