A sensible British law? Never! [I Drank Alcohol Before I Was 21]

Throughout the civilised world - and America - it's seen as reasonable in most cases to have some sort of restriction on who can buy alcohol, given its interesting effects on people.

But 21, which is the law in the USA, is from a European perspective utterly insane.

My mother gave me/my siblings teaspoons of calvados to settle upset stomachs when we were little - probably my first experience of alcohol. I vividly remember having a sherry glass of wine at Christmas when I was 5 years old, I was probably 15 or so when, at a restaurant, I would have wine with my parents. Although obviously I couldn't (and didn't *coughs loudly*) buy it before I was 18.

This approach seems a little more sensible than demand people run like a terrific puritan from the stuff until one is in one's 3rd decade.

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REMsleep · 41-45, F

In the USA don't forget that 1/3 of the founding Euro people came seeking freedom from religious persecution.
1/3 of the founding Euro people came seeking freedom from tyranny by the monarchy. Then about 1/3 came to make money, morals be damned.

I meantioned white founders only because they were the largest group and their reasons were different than founding natives( already here), founding blacks( 99% as slaves).

So the USA is a juxtaposition between super puritanical religious people and money hungry morally bankrupt people and we all value " freedom" at any cost.

Persephonee · 22-25, F

@REMsleep A good number of those settlers coming for religious reasons did so because they weren't allowed to do the persecuting themselves, of course! (But do take your point!)