Sharing an alcoholic drink with a child? From now on, that will cost you 100 euros
Be honest: did you really wait until you were legally allowed to drink? And by that I mean literally not having had a sip of alcohol before then? I think that percentage is VERY small. I still remember the first time I was allowed to drink something. It was New Year’s Eve at my aunt and uncle’s house, and my cousin and I (both the same age, I think 12 or 13) were each allowed to have a Breezer. Of course we chose the green one, obviously.
And what a PARTY it was. A horrible hangover straight away the next day. No okay, that’s a lie. But that’s kind of part of it, isn’t it—occasionally being allowed something by your parents, like alcohol, when you’re actually not old enough to have it yet? Not that I then had beer or wine with dinner every evening. In fact, that only came much later.
From today, it is a criminal offense to let children drink along
From now on, that is a thing of the past: if you, as an adult, let a child drink along with you, you risk a fine. You read that right: drink along. So it’s not about ordering a drink for your kid, but if you let them have even as much as a sip, you risk being fined—no less than 100 euros. A new alcohol law comes into effect today that includes this provision. So if you want to give your seventeen-year-old brother or sister a sip in a public place: don’t. Unless it’s worth 100 euros to you.
They’re not doing this to pester us, by the way, but ‘for the health of young people,’ says Paul Blokhuis (Public Health). I still come from the era when you were allowed to drink beer and wine at sixteen and spirits from eighteen—and I already thought it was pretty intense when that was changed. And now this… Well, I actually think it’s a bit excessive. If you’re sitting on a terrace with your 16- or 17-year-old as a parent and you want to let them taste your drink—surely that should be allowed?
Minors are also committing an offense
So it absolutely isn’t allowed, and you’re not the only one risking a 100-euro fine—the minor has to pay too: 50 euros. Do you know how much money that is at that age?! I wouldn’t dare either. So consider yourself warned. And as if it wasn’t bad enough already, the new law also means that supermarkets and liquor stores may offer a maximum discount of 25% on alcohol. Two for the price of one is therefore a thing of the past…
