alcohol and law

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Prevention
Understanding
Knowledge
Education

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You are breaking the law if:

You’re under 18 and you:
• buy or try to buy alcohol
• are supplied with alcohol in a club/pub
• sell or supply alcohol (i.e. work behind a bar), BUT working as a waiter/ess & delivering drinks to a table is legal

You’re over 18 and you:
• buy alcohol for an under 18, either in a pub or club, or in a shop or supermarket
• send a child to get alcohol for you
• give alcohol to a child under 5
• are drunk on a road, in a
pub or club, or any public
place whilst in charge of
a child under 7

• It's illegal for a child under 5 to be given alcohol, so anyone over 5 can legally drink but not buy it.
However, as alcohol is a strong poison it can damage internal body organs which continue to develop until adulthood.

• If you’re under 18 & drinking alcohol in a public place (streets, parks, etc), then the police have the power to confiscate your alcohol and contact your parents.

• The drinking of alcohol in designated public places, for example, town centres, is sometimes banned (“alcohol-free zones”)

• Under 18's can't drink in a pub, UNLESS they are 16 or 17 & having a table meal with an adult. The alcohol must be purchased by the adult.

	Common offences that occur from drinking include: • Public drunkenness • Disorderly behaviour while drunk in a public place • Drinking alcohol in a designated alcohol-free zone • Drinking & driving • Riding a cycle on a road or public place when drunk	Other alcohol-fuelled offences include: • Assault, ABH and GBH • Vandalism • Criminal damage • Sexual assault • Rape
	Consequences of all of the above are serious, they could lead to court appearances, fines, ASBOs, probation, etc. A criminal record could affect your choice of job, career & your chance of travelling the world (many countries will not allow entry to people with a criminal record).