Hi, I’m from Germany and here people can drink unlimited amounts of beer and wine in public at 16 years old and at 18 you’re allowed to also drink every other strong alcoholic beverage publicly such as Vodka.
I was reading online that in the US it’s not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in public even if you’re over 21 and even if it’s something mild like beer. If I understood it correctly you’re not even allowed to be drunk in public? I was wondering if this is actually true and why that is the case.
And I wonder how strictly this is enforced. I assume it probably varies strongly between places so maybe you could give an example for where you are from or experiences from other places.
Like even if it’s technically illegal do people still drink a nice cold beer in the summer without getting in trouble? Because it’s hard for me to imagine that anyone would say something when someone simply enjoys a nice cold beer during the hot summer in a park or something.
And could you even be arrested when just enjoying the summer day by drinking beer? Cause that had to be the worst vibe killing situation that would make me paranoid of ever drinking in public.
Laws associated with Alcohol vary wildly in the US.
In some places you can drink in public and some places you can’t.
America is filled with nuisance laws designed to let the police target anyone they want (but especially minorities) for harassment and extortion. Land of the free.
Unfortunately, the answer to many, maybe most, questions about US law is, it depends. There are places where you can drink in public, but it’s not universal. It’s more an exception though.
EDIT: To expand on the “it depends” part, it’s because there are federal, state, and local laws that come into play. There’s no federal law about drinking in public so it’s on the state/local laws to handle that.
Yeah, general rule would be not to go drinking in public unless it’s explicitly allowed. Even if it isn’t illegal, I suspect you could still have people or the police bother you.
I’m not a lawyer so I’m not familiar with the exact letter of the law, but as an American, I can tell you about my first-hand experiences. You can drink in public within restaurants/bars/places that serve alcohol for those 21+, but you have to stay within the confines of that place (if there’s outdoor seating you can drink there). You can be drunk as long as you’re not causing a scene. You can also enjoy alcohol in/on a private residence. I would be more careful about taking a beer to a public park, but you could probably get away with it provided you’re not causing a scene and you clean up after yourself.
And some attitudes are changing. A few years ago my state passed a law allowing local jurisdictions to designate a “social district” where public drinking is permitted. This is usually in a downtown area where there might be multiple restaurants/bars/music venues and maybe stores that are open at times that cater to when people are drinking. The areas are clearly marked with signs and if you pass them the alcohol becomes illegal, and I think the alcohol needs to have been purchased inside the social district; you can’t just show up with your own (cheaper) alcohol from home.
Where consider that down in parts of Florida where college students used to go party a lot for times like Spring Break, there used to be a lot of public drinking but the mass crowds of intoxicated young people, often vomiting and urinating all over in public, became obnoxious enough that local residents stopped caring about the tourism revenue and passed laws to crack down on this behavior.
Thanks for the insight
Couldn’t you just fill the beverage in a non see through water bottle? I have one of these insulated metal bottles where no one would notice what’s in there.
I guess the biggest problem probably is to “not make a scene” cause here in Germany we young people typically have many public spots where people drink lots of alcohol, listen to loud music and party. These aren’t restricted places, those are just public spots of cities where many young people gather and typically party through the night (like on grass fields at a river or lake).
Idk how strict America is in that regard cause the media often portrays it as if there are lots of harsh police officers because people are allowed to carry guns and are more violent/unpredictable.
In Germany at least where I’m from you rarely see any police officers and if you ever see some (maybe twice a year when there’s a car accident) they were just normal introverted people. One time I was very drunk when I was 17 or so and I talked to the police and they were just chill. I guess the typical Germans are more nerdy type people and the worst they could get is to argue about a math problem but I never see them get physical.
Dummkopf, it is called en passant! Check this rulebook I brought!
Lmao
I think it was in response to the last part of your comment:
I guess the typical Germans are more nerdy type people and the worst they could get is to argue about a math problem but I never see them get physical.
it reads like a little pantomime of how the commenter thinks such an argument in Germany might go.
Oh okay now it makes sense, I like that one
You would probably be able to get away with the opaque water bottle as long as you aren’t trying to take it someplace where those water bottles are forbidden. For instance, a sporting or concert venue might only allow you to bring such a bottle in if it is demonstrably empty, since that is such an obvious way to bring in a beverage that the venue would prefer to sell to you at 3-5x the normal price. And again, if you’re obviously intoxicated or otherwise causing problems police might take a closer look anyways.
Apart from the public drinking being a possible issue with what you describe about the public space parties, many jurisdictions have noise ordinances that would prohibit the loud music after a certain hour, often 10 PM. Usually only specially designated areas, like outdoor concert venues, would be allowed to make a lot of noise later than that. But again, for that to be enforced you’d have to be making a nuisance of yourself enough that someone would call the police. That’s the case with a lot of the laws: you have to be so egregious with it that you attract police attention or aggravate someone enough that they call the police.
Damn so it’s actually a problem to be intoxicated alone, even if I drank the alcohol at home and then went to the public like to the beach?
I’m not talking about being disturbing to people but just slurring words and being euphoric where it’s obvious that the person might had some drinks.
I mean how do you handle going to parties then if you have to get back home by tram or Uber and it’s obvious that you had drinks? Are people actually doing something illegal if they commute home drunk (of course not driving themselves)? After I went to a club I usually drive home by bus or tram but of course I mind my own business and am calm or chat with a friend. So people might not even notice that I’m drunk but even if they did it would be completely normal and it wouldn’t be illegal.
And addressing the music thing: Here (at least in my city) there are known places in the center where everyone knows that young adults go there every weekend to party. It’s basically an outdoor party each weekend in the summer of maybe between 100 to 300 random people with JBL speakers etc. It’s not a designated area or an event or so but they just let the people have their fun. It’s just random people coming with alcohol and having fun. Doesn’t this exist in America?
It’s just random people coming with alcohol and having fun. Doesn’t this exist in America?
I’ve seen it in a few places.
Eg: Yesterday I was boating on a river and passed a dock packed full of young people doing all that stuff.
Keep in mind that the drinking age is different between Germany and USA. Teenagers will get in trouble for public drinking, so they tend to do it in secret.
That would be a local or state law. Not a nationwide law. It would depend on where you are. Some areas don’t care, while other areas are militant about it.
Where I am is somewhere in between. Don’t stand out and your generally fine.
Because it’s hard for me to imagine that anyone would say something when someone simply enjoys a nice cold beer during the hot summer in a park or something.
Yea, that’s not really a thing where I’m at. Your own yard, sure, Campground, maybe. But almost nobody is staying outside let alone drinking any type of alcohol in the park when it’s over 90 F (+32.2 C) outside with over 90% humidity. More likely in the spring or late fall though. Just don’t stand out.
For comparison: https://weatherspark.com/countries/US/AL and https://weatherspark.com/countries/DE
It’s basically never enforced unless you’re being a nuisance or a minority. It’s just a law so that if someone is being a drunken pest but isn’t otherwise doing anything illegal then the cops still have cause to lock them up until they sober up (aka the drunk tank). It is a law that is intended to be selectively enforced but like most selectively enforced laws, it will be enforced more heavily against certain people.
Bingo. I’m a middle-aged white guy and can’t imagine the police saying anything. Last time I was told I couldn’t have my beer was by a lady in the park by the boat ramp.
Told her, "I didn’t know that! <sips beer> I’ll keep that in mind. <walking off drinking again> LOL, she was visibly shocked. Can’t imagine how people go through life lawful good, how boring.
I’ve never seen it enforced if it’s even illegal. Someone usually has to be causing problems for anyone to do anything.
Depends on the city/state. It’s legal to drink in public in Las Vegas, NV, but most cities have laws against open containers.
In films and TV shows, you sometimes see people drinking from bottles covered in a brown paper bag. Doing so makes you less likely to get fined, since it’s not obvious exactly what you’re drinking and it’s usually not worth the police’s time to find out unless youre causing problems.
Isn’t the bag making it way more obvious? I would just fill the beverage into a metal water bottle that way no one would know what I’m drinking.
A lot of alcoholics put alcohol in inconspicuous containers, like a fast food drink cup, and go about their day like they just have a large coke. My high school banned disposable plastic water bottles because people would drink straight vodka.
If you are finned for drinking in public, you are already a problem and the discovery of drinking leads to more consequences.
So just sitting in a park and drinking beer from a steel water bottle won’t get you in trouble until you start yelling slurs at the ducks.
Drinking Vodka in school?? Holy moly
That’s nothing, a lot of kids I went to school with snorted heroin in the bathroom.
It’s legal to drink in public in Las Vegas, NV,
This is incorrect. It’s legal to drink in some places around the strip but generally speaking, public drinking is not allowed. Ask any homeless person.
Where I am there’s no statewide public drinking ban outside of schools or government facilities - municipalities can restrict it somewhat, but if I were to stroll down the street drinking I wouldn’t get stopped unless I was being a nuisance or clearly unable to function.
Can’t take alcohol from the bar or a restaurant if it’s open container, but if I buy a 6-pack at the store it’s free game.
I can also go to the drive-thru and get booze from the beer barn down the block, and the passengers in my vehicle can drink all they want.
Oh, you must be from Mississippi. It’s worth noting that this is an extreme minority in the US. Most states(39 specifically) have open container laws and will still operate under the impression that you are intoxicated if there’s an open container in the vehicle, to the extent that you’re supposed to transport an open bottle of liquor in the trunk.
Different state, but yes, no stipulations on where the liquour is in the car so long as the driver doesn’t touch or drink it. Fond memories of my early 20s rolling down to the bar in the back of a truck with the pregame still going.
As with most absurd laws in the US the answer likely depends mostly on the color of your skin or your social class
In my city we do music nights in the park and people setup entire mini bars to make drinks and the police don’t bat an eye over it
I often times ride around on my bicycle with a can of something good and don’t get bothered by the local police as well (though they could certainly get me for something more harsh than drinking in public if they wished to)
The biggest law I don’t play with is Open container. Its illegal in my state to have an open bottle / can ANYWHERE in the passenger compartment of a vehicle
Beyond what others said, back before prohibition, drinking had gotten out of control. There were a lot of severe drunks causing problems absolutely everywhere. Prohibition was somewhat popular when it began because drinking had become an actual problem.
A lot of laws were being passed before prohibition passed, and those are the same laws you see today.
In most places it’s illegal, and it really only applies to in public spaces. The one exception I know off the top of my head is Las Vegas; totally legal to walk around on the streets while drinking.
New Orleans too
West coast of US here, I’ve abandoned the silly brown paper bag for “deniability” and just walk with an alcoholic cider or whatever.
Nobody’s said anything over the past few years, kinda looks like a soda anyway.
As with all things, if you look like you’re not doing anything suspicious, most people will ignore you.
Texas here, and no, not in most places and settings that aren’t bars clubs and restaurants. Although, as long as they’re not getting trashed most people will have some beers in the cooler and just keep them in coozies so they could conceivably be soft drinks. Nobody pretends to be fooled by the plausible deniability, but this would be mostly in local or state parks where you might fish or picnic, and again, hopefully not to the point of drunkenness. Because everything in Texas is a minimum 20-30 min drive we have a high DUI rate though, unfortunately. All that aside, people have already pointed out it depends. The south and Midwest or anywhere that could be considered ‘bible belt’ are going to have stricter laws on the books. That said, if you’re drunk in public and have people that care about you, you’ll probably just get an Uber home. You mostly see these laws applied to belligerent drunks causing problems or being disruptive. I’ve seen a guy get bounced, try to fight the bouncer in the street, then 3 off duty fire fighters backing him up, and finally the police that showed up, for example.
Edit: actually, it’s worse than you think here lol, we have “dry counties” where it’s not illegal to drink but IS illegal to sell hard liquors in stores. Restaurants etc. still sell alcohol. Bottle shop is a county over.
A town I used to live in hosted an annual festival in the riverfront park. The free event was largely funded by beer sales and drinking in public was encouraged during the shows. However there were stages on both sides of main street, which remained open to road traffic and was not included in the event’s alcohol permit. Yes – the police did watch the street and remind people to finish their beer before crossing.
