What is the legal drinking age in Greece?
There is no legal drinking age in Greece if you are drinking in private. However, if you want to purchase alcohol and drink in public, you must be 18 years of age. That's the theory at least - it didn't stop my 15-year-old godson from cheerfully ordering pina coladas for himself and his 14-year-old friend at a hotel bar that should know better. (Yes, so should he!)What about drinking and driving in Greece?
Drinking and driving is illegal in Greece as it is everywhere. Winding, dark roads, unfamiliar cars, unexpected obstacles, and narrow lanes all combine to provide Greece with the highest road fatality rate in Europe, whether you're drinking or not. It's as dangerous for Greeks as it is for tourists, and when you see a Greek man growing a beard, a traditional sign of mourning, it often means he's just lost his son in an alcohol-related road accident, something that has happened to several of my friends in Greece. Please be careful.
What's the Legal Limit for Drinking and Driving in Greece?
The legal limit is lower in Greece than in the United States or United Kindgom. Just 0.05 will classify you as legally drunk, compared to 0.08 in the United States and the United Kindgom.I've heard the Greeks drink and don't get drunk! How do they do it?
Greeks can get as drunk as anyone, but many of them are wise enough to keep eating snacks, or mezes, while they are drinking. This often works well enough with wine, beer, ouzo, and raki taken in relatively small quantities, but stronger liquors have exactly the same effect as they do at home, and eating will only go so far to protect you. While it is a good practice in general, if you're going overboard, don't count on a few bites to keep you sober. Drink moderately.
Wow! Liquor is so cheap in this string of beachside nightclubs catering to young people just like me!
Uh-huh. And it's probably cheap quality too - sometimes, it may even be dangerously cut with pure industrial alcohols. If that drink deal is too good to believe, it is. And just because it gets poured from a top-brand bottle doesn't mean it started out in one. For this reason, many partiers will stick to bottled beers which usually are what they claim to be.Determined to drink a bit too much in Greece? Stake out a table at a taverna within walking or taxi distance of your hotel. Better yet, drink as the Greeks used to and some still do - as an accompaniment to an array of mezes, little snacks which slow down the intoxication process and may give you the sense to say "no" to that last proffered bottle.,P> More on Eating and Drinking in Greece
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