The Scottish Licensing Act was revised by the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005,[11] which came into force in September 2009 after a transition period from February 2008. The new system applies only to the sale of alcohol, but is otherwise identical in most cases to the system created in England and Wales by the Licensing Act 2003. There are a number of important differences, such as a “commercial obligation” and attempts to control the irresponsible sale of alcohol by limiting discounts and other promotions that can lead to excessive consumption. Another law, which came into force on 1 May 2018, stipulates that alcohol cannot be sold at less than 50 pence per unit. It is illegal to buy alcohol for anyone under the age of 18. But what exactly is legal and illegal when it comes to drinking in the UK? Can people under the age of 18 drink legally? At home is another thing, a child between the ages of five and 16 can drink as much alcohol as he wants at home or in other private places. “Teens between the ages of 15 and 17 should never exceed the recommended weekly adult alcohol limits (no more than 14 units per week), and when they do, they should generally drink less than this amount.” For more information, visit the Drink Aware alcohol purchase page. However, Drink Aware publishes guidelines for alcohol consumption by those under 18: “If 15- to 17-year-olds consume alcohol, they should limit it to one day a week. It is illegal to give alcohol to children under the age of 5. While the 2005 reforms were aimed at reducing excessive alcohol consumption, reports claimed that the situation in England and Wales had not improved or even worsened. This led to a parliamentary inquiry. [19] The Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport concludes that the position presents “a mixed picture”. [20] Anyone convicted of illegally supplying alcohol to a person under the age of 18 will be punished and liable to a substantial fine.
This applies to people who walk or work in a pub or business, parents or guardians, or anyone else. Under the proposed rules, all premises where regulated activities are carried on must be licensed by means of a permanent establishment licence. In the case of the sale of alcohol, the premises must have a designated manager, who must himself be in possession of a personal licence. There is a parallel registration system for private clubs that sell alcohol to their members and require a club registration certificate. In England, Scotland and Wales, it is not illegal for a person between the ages of five and 17 to drink alcohol at home or in other private places. However, this does not mean that it is recommended. Some long-standing traditions (yes, legal requirements) have thus disappeared. First, the term “authorized hours” has taken on a new meaning. Until the 2003 Act came into force on 24 November 2005,[10] permitted working hours were a standard legal restriction: for example, the service of alcohol after 23:00 meant that a licence renewal had to exist – either permanently (e.g.
for nightclubs) or, at the express request of the licensee concerned, for a specific occasion. There was also a common general exemption that allowed for a modest extension to certain dates such as New Year`s Eve and some other holidays. Licensees did not need to apply for them and could use them without any formalities if they wished. Now, the authorized hours are theoretically continuous: it is possible to have a local license that allows a 24-hour opening, and in fact there are. The consumption of alcohol itself is not considered a “licensable activity” under the new Licensing Act. Therefore, “alcohol consumption time” (DUT) has no legal meaning and has disappeared. For many years, ten minutes (and later extended to twenty minutes) was the legal exemption that allowed alcohol consumption to continue past the official closing time, which more recently meant that customers could still drink what they had already purchased until 11:20 p.m., at the licensee`s discretion. After that, consumption had to stop. It is illegal for under-18s to buy alcohol anywhere in the UK.
People under the age of 18 who consume alcohol illegally could also face a criminal record or fine. In chemical terms, alcohol is an organic compound formed during the fermentation of grains, vegetables or fruits. Medically, alcohol is classified as a sedative (as opposed to a stimulant like caffeine or a hallucinogen like psilocybin) with a variety of physiological effects. Most of these effects involve slowing down or obstructing bodily functions. For example, alcohol inhibits bodily motor functions and slows reaction times. The more you drink, the slower and clumsier they become. Similarly, alcohol also hinders the brain`s communication pathways. While one or two drinks can make a person looser and more relaxed, continued consumption leads to symptoms such as slurred speech, cloudy thinking, and poor decision-making. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to additional complications such as vomiting, memory loss, drowsiness up to fainting, and in extreme cases, alcohol poisoning. Finally, long-term excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to serious physiological conditions, including (but not limited to) pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, liver disease, hyperglycemia, cancer, and various neurological disorders. According to the report, in 2016, more than 50% of people in America, Europe and the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, Oceania) drank alcoholic beverages.
For comparison, in 2016, only 32.2% of people in Africa and 33.1% of people in Southeast Asia (India, North Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.) drank. In addition, 94.9% of the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Yemen, etc.) abstained from alcohol throughout their lives. Alcohol consumption is illegal in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, at least for Muslims. Guests aged 16 or 17 may serve alcohol in a restaurant if the licensee or bar manager has approved the sale. Some regions limit this sale to sealed bottles of alcohol. If your waiter looks like you`re under 18 when you eat or drink in England, it`s probably completely legal. [8] Gov.uk website. What happens if my child gets into trouble with the police? Retrieved 6 April 2022. www.gov.uk/alcohol-young-people-law www.gov.uk/if-my-child-gets-in-trouble-with-police the mid-18th century, gin became very popular as it was much cheaper to buy than beer. This has been called the “gin epidemic.” In 1740, six times as much gin was produced as beer, and of London`s 15,000 drinking establishments, half were gin shops.
The Gin Act of 1736 imposed a prohibitive tax on gin, but this led to unrest, and the tax was gradually reduced and abolished in 1742. The Gin Act 1751 was more successful: instead of a tax, it limited gin producers to selling only to licensed establishments. With the end of normal authorized hours, this concession has become unnecessary and there is no mention of DUT in the 2003 law. Instead, licence applicants may set the maximum amount of time (their “hours of operation”) for which they wish to allow their customers to meet their operating hours after the end of the sale of alcohol (“End Time”). Some licences do not specify hours of operation at all, allowing for an indefinite consumption period, which is determined only at the discretion of the licensee. On the other hand, some licensees require “last orders” twenty minutes (or more) before the end of the hours of operation indicated on the operating permit. Some parents allow their children to try a little alcohol with them on special occasions; Others prefer not to. There is some evidence that drinking alcohol at an earlier age increases the likelihood of alcohol-related harm later on, but other studies show that young people who drink moderately at home, with good parental role models, are less likely to binge on and more likely to develop moderate drinking habits.
Keep in mind that there is a difference between swallowing on special occasions and drinking whole drinks, so the UK`s chief medical officers recommend that parents not allow their children to drink alcohol at home until they are 15. Whatever you decide, stick to your guns and make sure your child understands why it can be dangerous for young people to drink. Be prepared to say NO if you feel uncomfortable with party situations and set ground rules.