Another important thing to watch out for when drinking in Mexico is contaminated alcohol. Last year alone, a hundred people died from the consumption of adulterated alcohol and alcohol contaminated with methanol. Chronology of alcohol purchase age changes or laws restricting access to alcohol for minors: Although the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18, you will likely not be asked to provide identification when ordering drinks in Mexico. Several characteristics of the U.S.-Mexico border region are important when considering residents` alcohol consumption: poverty, health problems, drug trafficking and related violence, and the increased availability of alcohol in Mexico, where the legal drinking age is 18. The results of previous research on alcohol should also be taken into account. Each of these areas is briefly discussed below. The predominantly Hispanic marginal population between the United States and Mexico is at increased risk of alcohol use and related problems due to the region`s low socioeconomic status, poor service infrastructure, and drug-related violence. Among Mexican-American residents, recent studies suggest that this risk is particularly pronounced in younger age groups, and a key feature of this increased risk is crossing the border to drink in Mexico (where the legal drinking age is 18). However, few studies have compared the drinking behavior of U.S. citizens who consume alcohol on the Mexican side of the border with those who do not. We fill this gap in this study. A multi-level probability sample of 1,307 residents of the Mexican and U.S.

border were asked last year about their alcohol use and related problems. The response rate was 67%. Among current drinkers who reported having been to Mexico in the past 12 months (N = 468), 36.1% reported drinking alcohol in Mexico. Those who drank in Mexico reported drinking significantly more drinks per week (12.8% versus 8.7, p < 0.05), drank more frequently (58.3% versus 35.4%, p < 0.001), and were more likely to report one or more alcohol problems (35.5% versus 19.5%, p < 0.01) than those who did not drink in Mexico. Among those who drank in Mexico, men in Mexico reported significantly more drinks per day than women (6.2 versus 4.0, p < 0.001). Male sex and low income were significant predictors of alcohol consumption in Mexico. These findings suggest that alcohol consumption in Mexico contributes to the increased risk of alcohol consumption and related problems seen in previous research among Mexican Americans at the U.S.-Mexico border. Now that you know the drinking age in Mexico, you need to learn how to do it right. Some rules apply even if you are of legal age. In the late 20th century, much of North America changed its legal drinking age (MLDA) as follows: Whether you`re traveling to Mexico for spring break or taking a family vacation with underage kids, you`ll want to know the facts about legal alcohol consumption in Mexico.

In Central America, the Caribbean and South America, the legal drinking age and the legal purchasing age range from 0 to 20 years (see table below). In South America in particular, the legal age of purchase is 18, with two exceptions: the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18. You can drink alcohol in bars, restaurants and clubs if you reach the age limit of 18. The results of the analyses described in this article increase the complexity of this image of alcohol consumption at the border. First, aside from income and age, Mexican Americans at the border who drank in the U.S. and Mexico were not sociodemographically different from those who drank only in the U.S. However, those who drank in Mexico reported lower incomes, and 18- to 20-year-olds were particularly likely to drink in Mexico in the previous year. Those who drank in Mexico also tended to be heavier drinkers, as they reported a higher average number of drinks per week and a higher rate of heavy drinking. The average number of drinks per day consumed in Mexico is considered excessive alcohol consumption if consumed within about two hours.

It is therefore not surprising that a significant proportion of men (61.6%) and women (34.7%) who drank in Mexico reported at least one episode of heavy drinking in that country. In comparison, among current drinkers, 46.2% of Mexican-American men and 26.1% (recalculated by the authors) of Mexican-American women surveyed in HABLAS (primarily in Houston and Los Angeles) reported excessive alcohol consumption at least once a year (Caetano & Mills, 2011). It is technically legal for minors to possess and consume alcohol at home and in public (not on authorized premises), as there is no law prohibiting it. It is also technically legal for someone to buy alcohol and give it to minors outside the store or licensed establishments. [104] If you drink at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, you must wear colorful bracelets. There are distinct colors for over 18s, under-18s, and even honeymooners. This wristband system helps hotels quickly identify who is of legal drinking age. However, there are also resorts that can`t bother offending their customers, so parents should keep an eye on their kids.

18 is the legal drinking age in Mexico. All-inclusive plans in hotels work on a colorful wristband system. When you check in at your hotel, you will always receive a wristband, which means you are of legal age, so you will never receive a card at your hotel. [Don`t make the mistake some people make by removing and throwing away your wristband on the last day, otherwise you`ll be charged a processing fee. The hotel employee will remove it when you check out. Of course, you won`t mention it when you check in. The same goes for the towel cards you receive. There is usually a small kiosk by the pool where you can exchange towels.

If you turn over a towel, make sure the guy gives you a card. Sometimes they “forget” to give you back your card. All cards not returned at check-out will be charged.] I don`t know if they ask for ID in the bars in the hotel zone, but I seriously doubt it. My two sons (19 and 14) and I spent a few days on vacation at the palace in Cancun last June. After checking in, they popped into the pool while I waited for our luggage to be delivered to our room. When I arrived at the pool, my 14-year-old son came up to me with a silly smile, holding a cup of iced drink in his hand. I asked, “What`s in the cup?” He replied, “Strawberry Daiquiri.” When he saw my shocked expression, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well, he served it to me… ” and nodded to the bartender at the swim-up bar. No, I don`t expect you to have to worry about being transported to Cancun. Just a few tips: in Mexico, it`s not so much what you do, but how you do it. You can do just about anything you want, as long as you exercise a modicum of self-control and decency and show that you respect your host country.

You are their guest. Be offensive and loud and misbehave, and you will quickly exhaust your greeting and incur only the wrath of the authorities. So, keep your mind on you, have fun and enjoy your visit to Cancun! There are still Mexican drinking laws about where and how alcohol can be sold, and it`s important to be aware of this before you start drinking. The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age at which alcohol can be legally consumed may differ from the age at which it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary from country to country and many laws provide for exceptions or special circumstances. Most laws only apply to alcohol consumption in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home generally unregulated (an exception is the UK, which has a legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic beverages.

[1] Most countries have a legal drinking age of 18 or 19. [2] I hope this article helped clear up any confusion about the legal drinking age in Mexico! Mexico is such a fun destination and there`s nothing like enjoying a margarita or cerveza by the pool. Of course, just because the drinking age in Mexico is lower doesn`t mean alcohol isn`t regulated. Maybe you`re in Mexico City for a vacation trip with your friends or a school holiday getaway. And all the fun moments couldn`t be better with a drink or two. But wait! Before planning to celebrate the occasion with a bottle of tequila, it`s best to know the legal drinking age in Mexico. The last thing you want is to end up breaking the law and paying the consequences. So, before crossing the border, find out about the legal drinking age in Mexico to reassure yourself. Finally, the only two socio-demographic factors that significantly predicted alcohol consumption in Mexico were male sex and low income. Given the variety of controls included in the logistic analysis in Table 4, this effect of male sex may reflect more lax attitudes and norms that govern men`s lives in general and men`s alcohol consumption compared to women. These factors point in the same direction in Mexico and the United States.

This means that in both countries, men have more freedom to drink than women. In terms of income, the explanation may be that drinking in Mexico is generally cheaper than drinking in the United States. Lower alcohol prices on the Mexican side of the border were an important factor in making decisions about alcohol consumption in Tijuana among a sample of young adults interviewed by telephone in San Diego, California (Lange et al., 2002). Age differences did not quite reach significance once the other effects were controlled, but marginal age differences persisted and reflected the unadjusted trend, with rates being particularly high among 18- to 20-year-olds. Mexico`s lower legal drinking age could make it an attractive place for U.S. citizens under the age of 21 who legally consume alcohol. Vanuatu, Togo, Burkina Faso and Timor-Leste, on the other hand, are not of legal drinking age.