underage drinking?

I was watching some show on BBC, and this 15 year old girl was getting completely wrecked in public (and on camera).  A police officer came to check on her welfare, and it occurred to me...no ticket?  In the U.S. (or at least in WI), she'd likely have been cited and fined for underage drinking.  Does that not happen in the U.K.?  I mean, I understand that someone could still be fined for being drunk & disorderly, etc., but for simply being caught consuming alcohol while underage, is there a fine for the teenager?  Or is all the enforcement targeted at adults providing the alcohol?

I'm not sure of the law, but I have to say I've never heard of an underage drinker getting fined or cited for anything.  At least not for simply being drunk.  If they were causing a nuisance, I could imagine them getting in trouble for being drunk and disorderly etc.

But I have heard of the police taking these kids back to their parents.  I'm not sure what happens then - probably just a stern talk with the parents I imagine.

From what I've heard, they tend to confiscate the alchol/fake IDs and tell them to move along. Hobnob is right they tend to only get cited if they are disturbing the peace in some way.

I think the UK has a different ethos to arrests/penalties(fines), you really have to push their buttons to get one. While in the US they are more liberal in their distribution.

Here's dad answering the door...."Whatyer pickin on me Callum for?"

It's actually not illegal for a 15 year old to drink alcohol, it's illegal for them to buy it or for someone to sell it to them. So in the case you describe it would be difficult for the police to bring charges.
I recall when I was 17 though and in pubs, there was always 1 eye on the door looking for the police and then you'd scarper out of the back door. My 18th birthday felt like such a let down when I was out in town and no longer worried about seeing the police!

From my understanding police enforcement in the UK is usually pretty minimal when it comes to alcohol and cannabis offenses as long as the person in question isn't causing a problem like starting fights or creating a public disorder. The quieter you keep, the more difficult it is for them to bring charges and to be honest it costs taxpayers a lot of money to take someone to court simply for sitting on a bench getting drunk or baked. Not a major concern when youths are carrying knives, people are getting mugged, and riots are raging feel me? There are of course exceptions to this, and every now and then someone gets made an example of. Depends on county and police department as well.

Ha ha and lmfao at that Townie dad!! Met many like this

sonofasailor-  I just sprayed my keyboard with coffee.

Like everyone else I never heard of anyone actually getting in trouble for underage drinking, except for a DUI.

This shocked me too, because one of my friends got his license taken away at 17 for sitting in a liquor store parking lot (which his uncle owned) for the intent to purchase alcohol.  I was attending a PA state university they brought in new rules- if you got caught with an underage- you would be fined, not allowed to live on campus, not allowed to get a degree in criminal justice or education and more than 1 could get you kicked out of school.

It is all a bit over the top in the US, though I do like how strictly they enforce ID'ing. I hate going to a pub full of people who should be studying for their GCSE's.

My 18th birthday felt like such a let down when I was out in town and no longer worried about seeing the police!

Just what my DH said!

Nobody is too bothered about "underage" drinking in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. I know my kids were drinking when out with their mates. In fact, my son was drinking beer on a Scout camping trip at the age of about 13! (They were out in the country so no harm done)
DS went on a German exchange trip when he was in US high school. Booze was definitely a part of the scene for the German kids but the American kids were warned by the teacher it would not by tolerated (not that they listened) When we had the German girl over with us, we talked about it and she said the feeling was that the teenagers should just get the boozing out of their system at a younger age. And since they weren't allowed to drive until older (18 I think it was) there wasn't so much danger involved with drunk driving.

I guess this is one of those issues where I realize that I'm far more conservative by UK standards than by US standards.

I think the U.S. attitude (at least, the 'official' attitude) is kind of over-the-top.  But at the same time, I think there's something wrong when I hear 11 year-olds going on about how they can't wait to get drunk cos it'll be so much fun, and how funny it is when Dad comes home wasted, etc. 

I just find it odd that, apparently, no one has connected the dots between turning a blind eye to teen drinking, and then the governmental/media hand-wringing over binge drinking & alcoholism in adults.

I guess this is one of those issues where I realize that I'm far more conservative by UK standards than by US standards.

I know what you mean. My family background was practically teetotal and I was never that much into drinking (or smoking) so it was kind of a surprise to see how much a part of life it is in the UK. DH used to get annoyed when we'd go to a pub with friends and I didn't want a drink. 

It always shocked me when I came to the states that I could be potentially prosecuted for giving my child alcohol in my own home. That should be a parents choice. Note I am absolutely not condoning getting your child drunk in any shape or form. That is irresponsible parenting. 

I grew up with wine on the table, granted my wineglass was a little dinky affair that barely held a mouthful. I always appreciated that part of my upbringing though and put my ability to nurse a pint or two down the pub with my mates for the whole night to that exposure. I had no desire to get absolutely plastered. That's not to say I wasn't drinking under age at the time. I was getting away with buying booze from the age of 15, in fact my local threw me a huge party on my 18th to help me celebrate my first legal pint..

But to all of my memories it is the sale of alcohol to minors that can and will be prosecuted. Not the minors drinking it, I don't believe they can get in trouble for purchasing it either, iirc It's all on the head of the person selling it. Course it's been 10 years since I was in the UK so that might have changed. Will be finding out real soon I hope

My US hubby is adamant that we will never deliberately 'poison' our child. I figure that is an argument to handle in 8-10 years or so which is when I believe my parents let me start tasting wine. He on the other hand blames his Mum for getting him drunk when young leading him to abusing the jack daniels as a teenager. I can certainly see his point of view and he is pretty much tee-total now. Gonna be a tough call and I think will depend a lot on the kid and whether I think he is sensible enough to handle it.

It depends on your state as to whether your children can drink.

For instance in WI

Can children be in a bar with their parents?

Yes. Persons under age 21 may be on licensed premises, and can be sold and allowed to drink alcohol beverages, if they are with their parents, guardians, or spouses, as long as those persons are of legal drinking age; but this is at the discretion of the licensee.

http://www.revenue.wi.gov/faqs/ise/atundrg.html

Nobody is too bothered about "underage" drinking in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. I know my kids were drinking when out with their mates. In fact, my son was drinking beer on a Scout camping trip at the age of about 13! (They were out in the country so no harm done)
DS went on a German exchange trip when he was in US high school. Booze was definitely a part of the scene for the German kids but the American kids were warned by the teacher it would not by tolerated (not that they listened) When we had the German girl over with us, we talked about it and she said the feeling was that the teenagers should just get the boozing out of their system at a younger age. And since they weren't allowed to drive until older (18 I think it was) there wasn't so much danger involved with drunk driving.

When I was a freshman in college, I went on a all expenses paid trip for a week over winter break to Florence with the honors program at my university. We were strictly warned not to drink anything all week and were given a list of consequences (I can't remember specifically what they were). Of course, everyone (or mostly everyone) ignored them because at the same time we were given a lot of freedom to roam Florence on our own (we were 18 and 19 and were going to university in Manhattan so I mean, really). I thought that was a little ridiculous, since instead of exposing us to Italian wine culture through group dinners, etc, everyone just snuck out to the bars at night. If I recall correctly, I bought a bottle or two of wine to come home with me (before all of the no liquid ridiculousness) and might have order a carafe of table wine for the couple of meals we had on our own. Most of my peers didn't show such restraint. But really, we were freshman in college so it was kind of ridiculous for them to tell us no alcohol (on our own dime) in a country where it's perfectly legal.

Then again, I had never had more than a small sip of my parents' drinks or a small glass of champagne on NYE until I spent two months largely unsupervised in Spain at a language school at 16. So while, yes, I did drink/ get drunk, I had always had a fairly European introduction to alcohol.

Well, I can see why the school didn't want to expose itself to any issues by giving/condoning drinking at dinners. 

But if it is legal then it is legal.

I can also see why those rules where in place though.  I mean no one wants to have to go to the hospital with an alcohol poisoned student.  And, if it did happen and warnings weren't given then that probably would have been the last trip.

Yeah, when I was on exchange, I wasn't "legal" to drink in the country I lived, but a lot of my friends where 18 and could buy mild alcohol in the shops (<20% alcohol) or any drink in a place that served food (20 was the age where can buy any drink, anywhere).  We could have been sent home if caught, but people rarely were I think.  I don't think they were normally shopped by their host families.  But it was a situation where our exchange org didn't want to have to deal with everything associated with that sort of thing, legal or not.  We couldn't drive either.

I don't know what I think about under age drinking.  I did a lot of it, and seemed to get it out of my system.  I am a very moderate drinker now.  However, I know that it hasn't always worked that way here, and there's a lot of questioning about attitudes towards under-age drinking might be priming people for drinking problems.  Maybe I turned out the way I was because my parents were basically teetotallers.  I can count on my hands the number of times I've seem my mother drink, and she was drunk only once in my presence.  My dad gave up drinking when I was 6.  I don't think that my sort of environment is the norm here.  But when I did start drinking, I sort of went crazy about it, and grew out of it.

However, in the States, the idea that people should get up in your business about drinking is awful.  It's gotten to the point where pregnant women are told they shouldn't be in bars even if they are drinking soft drinks.  WTF?  I am not a proponent of pregnant women drinking, and I am aware of FAS and the horrors, but I also think the sort of paternal legal and social pressures in the States regarding it is a step or two too far.  Then again, the first time I saw an obviously pregnant woman drinking here, I was a bit shocked, not only by her drinking, but that no one else seemed to bat an eyelid about it.