Why liquor laws are still so backward?

[Sapo]

Sorry, after another trip to Europe I have no answer . Beer, wine, liquor available everywhere. No drunks, fights no checkstops.
Why we are different?
It has everything to do with small people using their power to impose their sanctimonious will on the majority?
Any thoughts?

[max_boost]

People here are retarded.

[Traffic_Cop]

People are introduced to alcohol at a young age, a glass of wine at dinner etc, so its seen as sociable. Its not this big mystery drink that you cant drink until you are 18. So here, when people turn 18, they just want to get hammered!.

[whiskas]

Originally posted by Sapo
Why we are different?

Because we have rednecks, country music, lifted trucks, conservatives, and shitty beer running rampant. Europe doesn't.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by whiskas


Because we have rednecks, country music, lifted trucks, conservatives, and shitty beer running rampant. Europe doesn't.

I give you... THE IRISH!

Sorry, last time I checked we didn't have massive, multi-week riots in North America either...

I think the laws are fine in Canada. Developmentally speaking, getting hammered can have serious negative effects on people under the age of 18. However, the 21 age in the US is just straight up retarded.

[Masked Bandit]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


I give you... THE IRISH!

Sorry, last time I checked we didn't have massive, multi-week riots in North America either...

I think the laws are fine in Canada. Developmentally speaking, getting hammered can have serious negative effects on people under the age of 18. However, the 21 age in the US is just straight up retarded.

I'll see your Irish and raise you...gypsies!

[Kobe]

Originally posted by Sapo
Sorry, after another trip to Europe I have no answer . Beer, wine, liquor available everywhere. No drunks, fights no checkstops.
Why we are different?
It has everything to do with small people using their power to impose their sanctimonious will on the majority?
Any thoughts?

Lots of fights in Poland at the bars, and when you are driving there is random checkstops all around, the difference is when u get stopped you MUST blow into the breathalizer, it doesn't matter how sober you look..

The limit there is 0.02 as well..

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by Traffic_Cop
People are introduced to alcohol at a young age, a glass of wine at dinner etc, so its seen as sociable. Its not this big mystery drink that you cant drink until you are 18. So here, when people turn 18, they just want to get hammered!.

Amount of alcohol consumed per capita is higher in most Euro countries than in N.A. And people do get hammered, drinking culture is more hardcore over there than here.

I know in Finland alcoholism is the leading cause of death among males, but for some reason over there drinking is classier haha. Maybe you just don't notice is because people generally dress better over there, you don't notice the drunk guy in a suit as much as you notice the drunk dude in stained sweats.

[cloud7]

IMO you should be able to go to any grocery or convenience store to buy alcohol. You should also be allowed to drink in public as long as you are conducting yourself in an orderly manner.

[J-hop]

kinda hard to pass judgement when you've probably been to less than 1% of the drinking establishments in each city you visited. It's like painting all of Calgary with the back alley's brush, yea of course you'd think Calgary is full of tools.

One thing to consider is that laws in Canada are reactive and generally take a long time to bring in (for example according to my AMA instructor who worked to bring in the distracted driving law that law in some form or another has been in the works for over 20 years). So chances are the 18 y/o law was brought in to react to problems created by young drinking. I personally would believe it, think about all the stupid shit you did at 15/16 while sober, now think about those same years if you could walk into a liquor store any day of the week and get booze.

[Dumbass17]

we have drive thru liquor stores here..mind boggling

[SJW]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1




Sorry, last time I checked we didn't have massive, multi-week riots in North America either...

You just wait until the Canucks lose in the playoffs. Shits about to get real.

[kertejud2]

Originally posted by Sapo
Sorry, after another trip to Europe I have no answer . Beer, wine, liquor available everywhere. No drunks, fights no checkstops.
Why we are different?
It has everything to do with small people using their power to impose their sanctimonious will on the majority?
Any thoughts?

While I completely agree that Canada should have drinking laws similar to Europe, I'd have to wonder if you stayed out past 9pm if you didn't see any drunken fights (never mind drunks and fights) regardless of what country you were in.

[Maybelater]

Originally posted by Kobe


Lots of fights in Poland at the bars, and when you are driving there is random checkstops all around, the difference is when u get stopped you MUST blow into the breathalizer, it doesn't matter how sober you look..

The limit there is 0.02 as well..

And regardless of the results you have to pay a bribe

[Mattloaf]

Last time I was in Europe was when I was 18 (9 years ago now. Yikes!). I had two very different experiences with drinking. You had the classic pub drinking atmosphere that European culture is famous for. Nice and classy. A bag of crisps and a plate of chips and nice warm beer. Lots of the people I drank with had no moral issues with getting hammered and then stumbling/driving home.

On the flip side, my cousin took me to a house party while I was there. A house party here in Canada is a bunch of people relatively your own age, all having a good time, most drinking too much, the odd asshole throwing up in the bathroom/backyard/homeowners shoes and the odd fight, though in my opinion fights are rare and on the whole the parties are pretty good times. When I walked into this house party there, it was full of a bunch of drunk 14-16 year old kids and super weird older guys (of which I hope I wasn't one of as I was only 18 at the time...). There were more drugs there than I'd ever seen. The house was absolutely trashed. Tons of fights. If it weren't for the two smoking 20-somethings getting each other off with an electric toothbrush in the living room I would have left MUCH earlier than I had. Even with the "entertainment" I was so disgusted with the atmosphere that I got out of there pretty early.

I'm glad I didn't grow up with a drinking culture like that.

Before I get berated for looking at a culture through a pinhole, I realize my views are based on a tiny perspective of the culture and it in no way reflects the overall society. I'm simply stating my observations.

[Kobe]

Originally posted by Maybelater


And regardless of the results you have to pay a bribe

Surprisingly enough, you can not bribe the cops like you could back in the days.

It used to be really bad, but now everyone I knew in Poland said I should never try it.


I'm sure if you did blow over, you could still make a pretty large bribe and get off, depending on the officer.

[Maxt]

A few reasons....
Our Government doesn't trust us, they treat us like children on every issue. The commoner can never make the correct judgement call. Doesn't matter if its booze, guns, reasonable force.. etc.
Our Government also tends to be very media sensitive, so it makes knee jerk reactions to every incident regardless of magnitude or frequency. Politicians are constantly looking for ways to get into the books with feel good measures and " save lives".. Especially overbearing socialist politicians..
We also have much more dependency on the automobile than more densely populated nations with public transit systems and drinking venues within walking distances, this probably affects our stats in terms of drinking and driving making the product look more evil here.
But really whats the difference if you sell a person 6 cases of Bud at Costco's stand alone liquor store at 3 pm Friday, or let him buy a case when they really want one at 11 pm at 7-11... Treating it like a really hard to attain product and forcing people to buy a lot at one time because of limited access probably encourages higher binge drinking numbers.
Also the pricing of it is a problem to, it doesn't stop anyone from drinking, it just forces them to drink cheaper product and or steal it.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by Maxt
A few reasons....
Our Government doesn't trust us, they treat us like children on every issue. The commoner can never make the correct judgement call. Doesn't matter if its booze, guns, reasonable force.. etc.
Our Government also tends to be very media sensitive, so it makes knee jerk reactions to every incident regardless of magnitude or frequency. Politicians are constantly looking for ways to get into the books with feel good measures and " save lives".. Especially overbearing socialist politicians..
We also have much more dependency on the automobile than more densely populated nations with public transit systems and drinking venues within walking distances, this probably affects our stats in terms of drinking and driving making the product look more evil here.
But really whats the difference if you sell a person 6 cases of Bud at Costco's stand alone liquor store at 3 pm Friday, or let him buy a case when they really want one at 11 pm at 7-11... Treating it like a really hard to attain product and forcing people to buy a lot at one time because of limited access probably encourages higher binge drinking numbers.
Also the pricing of it is a problem to, it doesn't stop anyone from drinking, it just forces them to drink cheaper product and or steal it.

Very well put.

[Supa Dexta]

Originally posted by Mattloaf
If it weren't for the two smoking 20-somethings getting each other off with an electric toothbrush in the living room I would have left MUCH earlier than I had.

I've heard of those types of guys.

[Maybelater]

I was thinking of this and people in this thread are correct. The UK is like the most of Europe in respect to allowing youth into pubs and they have pubs full of soccer hooligans who get wasted and beat the living shit out of each other over disagreements over which team is better. Can't say that is a very civil drinking environment.