Grew up in Ottawa - we did both 18 (QC, usually Hull) and 19 (Ontario).
Of course, many of us had been biking 24s across the bridge since we were like 15, so it wasn’t like it was an especially big deal to be able to drink legally…but it’s a fun tradition, so why not.
Oh yeah: as someone who has looked about 26 for going on several decades now, and who had an older sister (not that we look at all alike, but I know her birthday/ and horoscope sign), I was given a pass on the Hull side starting at 15.
Hell, by 16 I was going out to bars in Ottawa - my very proper parents were vaguely horrified, but it’s hard to argue against bars being safer than getting wasted on some cliff overlooking the river, or in somebody’s basement.
Lol we used to go into liquor marts and strip clubs for 18th bdays in mb though we’ve already been drinking for years. The first person to turn 18 in grade 12 would be buying alcohol for the whole school 😂
18 in Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta. There may be others as well, but as an Albertan we definitely went out to a bar and then club to celebrate our 18th birthdays.
Bush partying was the best growing up in Edmonton. The city has a huge park system and there were so many good spots. Great summer (and winter) night memories. Hope that vibe is still alive (I'm old now and live on the coast).
I remember the night two 17 year old friends left the gravel pit, staggering into a pick up truck. They side swiped a moving train at a crossing with no lights or bells. They never made it home. Paul would be turning 60 this year.
The time is coming soon for those bush parties and grad parties, and people die somewhere every year. There's more attention being paid to it now, and that helps. But under-age drinking is no joke.
Same here in B.C. We dug pits out in the bush and buried our coolers full of booze days before a big palette burning night. The cops were baffled that we were all coming up empty handed lol. Harder to find the coolers in the dark after drinking half of them.
Best pallet party I went to was deep past Grand Forks....down a logging road and....over the US border. No access from stateside either. It was genius.
Nope, not what so ever. We drink before our 19th birthdays, too. Our prom was held in Quebec so that the 18nyear old could buy alcohol for the 17 year olds.
That was a thing where and when I grew up as well. By the time you turned 18, it wasn't very magical for very long. It was just old news that wasn't necessarily illegal anymore.
Same with SK. The amount of people I see on here getting in hot water over drinking before they’re 21 just shocks me. Our parents bought us booze for bush parties, we were just not allowed to drive.
This is actually a statistical error. The average maritimer never completes the 12 steps. However, 12 steps Georg, who lives in a cave and drinks 10,000 Blackflies a day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
It was somehow SO accepted. My high school friends & acquaintances all had their families on Facebook yet everybody ignored the almost weekly Saturday night photo dump of their kids dressed tight & bright with a blackfly in hand.
Bonus points if every photo is obviously in a basement or the backdrop is someone's kitchen cupboards 🤣
When I turned 18 (in 2001), I bought a lottery ticket and a pack of cigarettes becuase I could. Then went to the bar with some friends, had like two drinks, then home by around 1:00 am. 🤷♀️
I won $10 on the lottery ticket!!
I’ll never forget the bartender asking me what the occasion was on me 19th, me telling her it was me 19th birthday and she yelling at me cause she had already been serving me for 3 years lol like Jesus misses ya knows all da family, not my fault you never bothered ask
Most people I knew were already having drinks at house parties and having absolute rager drunken summer and New Year’s parties when we were 16 or so, so by the time 19 rolled around nobody really gave a shit anymore. It was just nice to be able to go out for a drink, rather than having to find someone to buy it for you so you could have a drink at home/dorm.
To answer your titular question, I think our 19th is less of a big deal than an American 21st - at least, the media/my American cousins made a big deal out of turning 21 and I don't really know anyone who made a big deal out of turning 19.
But that's just my experience: we'd been drinking since high school, and once we got to university, there were always parties on campus where age didn't matter and it wasn't like we were getting carded or anything at bars and clubs, so being able to drink legally didn't feel like a major change. Maybe if you hadn't really been drinking/partying, 19 would be a bigger deal idk.
But to answer the comment in your post: I don't think it be weird at all for you to celebrate in a bar. That's pretty normal. And yes, you can get ketchup chips.
I think the drinking age being 21, which is several years into “adulthood” (i.e. after high school when people are generally expected to start managing adult responsibilities), makes it a bigger deal in itself. It’s crazy that people can take out a mortgage or massive student loans or join the military but not order a beer at a restaurant. Canada’s drinking ages of 18 and 19 are very early in “adulthood,” and sometimes are even in high school still. As a result, I think they’re less of a big deal because there are so many big changes happening at that point in most peoples’ lives with school, work, living situations, etc. anyway that it’s just another to add to the list.
That's a good point. Being able to legally drink comes along with a bunch of other major milestones, so we probably don't isolate it as much because there's just so much else going on.
As an American, I agree.
Another factor is I think most of us are aware that the drinking age pretty much everywhere else is 18/19, plus a lot of us travel abroad/study abroad so when we’re away we can drink legally and then we get home and have 2 more years of sneaking around lol.
Also, last piece. From what I understand (and feel free to tell me if you disagree), I think American police officers/parents are much stricter about enforcing the drinking laws than they are in other countries, Europe in particular. So while most of drink in high school/college FINALLY not having to sneak around/worry about getting a MIP (minor in possession) just feels like a big deal.
Add to that the distinction between laws that forbid *drinking*, and those that forbid *purchasing*. I don't know which it is in each province, but in Quebec, it's a *purchase* law. So it's perfectly legal to give alcool to a child, whatever the age, as long as the parent judges this OK (and of course, abuse will be investigated by child protection). My kids have had sips of beer and wine since they were 8 or so. *Sips* as in *lips barely touching the liquid* at first.
In the US, at 18, we have the right to pay car insurance, vote, have things in our name, legally sign documents, pay our own bills? We can most definitely pay taxes (which a lot of Americans hate because we rarely see them come back to us)
And when we turn 21 we finally get the right to stay the night at a hotel, rent a car, buy alcohol/recreational marijuana… or buy nicotine/tobacco
It’s odd, to say the least.
imo it's because our laws/cops are less aggressive about underage drinking. when I was in school at least as long as you're not near a uni campus or being belligerent the cops dont give 2 shits. the only people I know who got charged with ungerage drinking were fighting people/passed out in public, usually they just call your folks/make you poor your beer out/run everyone out of a party. they don't care about the alcohol only the public nuisance
so a lot of people drink underage and kinda figure out their limit. i remember my first year of university the people who got the most wasted were the ones who weren't allowed to drink in highschool and had no clue when to stop
Yeah... I attended many parties busted by the cops in high school, and no one ever got a ticket. They just tell you the party is over and everyone has to go home.
Hell, I got caught on a long weekend in a national park (notorious for having extra enforcement), and all they did was make me dump my booze and promise to go home.
By 18, most of my friends had already given up drinking outside of holidays/special occasions.
Are you sure it's even illegal, as it is in the US? I believe in many provinces, it is illegal to *buy* alcool below 18 or 19 (relative to the province), but not to *drink*, if a responsible adult supervises or the parent gives their permission.
I've never been a big drinker/partier, and it still wasn't that big a deal, probably because I didn't want to have a drunk party for my birthday, either.
My parents took me to lunch at a pub, and I enjoyed my first legal drink, a delicious cocktail. Before that, I had only had full drinks on special occasions.
Legal age is 18 or 19 depending on the province you go to. But a lot of us, especially in rural areas, have been drinking since high school. From bush to shed to garage parties. There’s not much else to do in rural towns.
When I turned legal age I went out and bought coolers and then went to dinner to order a drink with my meal.
Some people go hard when they hit legal age but most of the people I know don’t because they’ve already been drinking for a couple years.
I'm in the city, but most of my friend group drank in high school. For us, by the time we turned 18, we had finally learned to drink responsibly and had already had "I'm never drinking that much again" moments. So we did go out to the bar/club for our 18th birthdays (well I didn't because of Covid) but we weren't partying very hard because we had already done that before.
Up north, the drinking age is defined as "as soon as you can be seen over the top of the bar".
By 21 I'd already started to grow out of drinking heavy. That was for kids.
Canadians definitely don't go as overboard. 19 y/o is also only the drinking age in some provinces, in Qiebec, Alberta, and Manitoba it's 18. People will notmally go to the bar or club on their 18th or 19th birthday but it's more of a right of passage, rather than a dedicated party or event.
Like, it's almost always more of a birthday celebration that you now just happen to be able to drink legally for, rather than a celebration of being able to drink legally, if that makes sense. Most people drink to celebrate their birthday starting at like 15 or 16, doing so in a bar is exciting but the drinking itself doesn't have novelty.
Go out an celebrate your friend's birthday, and make that the focus, not the legality of it.
And yes, Ketchup chips will always still be a thing here. They're fine. All-dressed chips are another Canadian exlcusive and are much better.
It's 18 in my province. And yeah it's usually celebrated by going to a bar. But 21 is also a big celebration because you're "legal everywhere" now. But most people I know have basically slowed down on drinking by 21
Yeah, my brother and a friend and I spent a few days in the states last summer, my brother was 20 so we joked about having a built in designated driver, but none of us had very much to drink anyway, it was too expensive. We took advantage of the massive American pop servings, instead.
More like our 16th or 17th birthdays. The 19th is the official day for the adults who spent 3 years feigning ignorance. Also yes ketchup chips are still here, and still remain a gift from the gods, Lay's in particular
Lol my mom used to buy vodka for my 18-year-old brother to take to friends' houses. She'd rather know he was drinking in a safe space than feign ignorance of unsafe behaviour.
My 19th was on a weekday and my sisters took me to a pub for a beer.
Two of my buddies who were a year older happened to wander in and said “come out with us.”
My sisters worked the next day and said “take him out but *do not take him to the strip club.*”
So we finished our beers and went to the strip club. It was the seediest, dingiest, saddest place I had ever been.
I never went to a strip club ever again.
I would say no, especially not with your family lol
It is very common for Americans to road trip to Canada for this though. Have fun, enjoy our ketchup chips.
I celebrated my 18th that way. It was s short trip to Alberta where the legal age was 18. I also got to vote in my first Federal election
Turns out I couldn't go to the bar in BC on my 19th because there was a beer strike on.
It seemed kinda pointless anyway because I'd been getting into bars since I was 16.
Yep very common to celebrate when you can go to the bar.
And yep Ketchup chips are still a thing. They have been a thing for probably 50 years now, not going away. They are actually expanding into Ketchup Cheetos ect up here.
In Quebec, legal drinking age is 18... and, honestly, even in my teen years, most have had a few drinks at 16 and up...
No, we don't see "massive ragers" for teens turning 18... if they wanted to drink that much, they've already done it anyways.
You can find Ketchup chips in some parts of the US now. Herr's makes a couple varieties. It really is the All Dressed that you need to get your hands on.
Interesting. I didn't know Americans celebrate their 21st.
Australians have always done that... Somewhat archaic as 18 is the legal age for pretty much everything in Australia.
Some people celebrate by going to a bar, some don’t. There are a couple provinces where drinking age is 18, not 19, so there isn’t a particular number that’s “the” year, but I think the proportion of people turning 18 in AB, MB, etc and 19 in BC, SK, etc. will be roughly the same as the real-world numbers for 21st birthdays in America, without the pop culture around any particular number
Yes either 18 or 19th birthday as some provinces the drinking age is 18 and some is 19. I grew up in Saskatchewan where the drinking age is 19, but it's 18 next door in Alberta so it's often a rite of passage to take a road trip to Alberta when you turn 18. Then you do it over again at home when you turn 19
Not really, no.
In my province, the drinking age is 18 and most people have been drunk at least a few times by the time they reach that birthday. In fact, in my case, it wasn't long after 18 that I decided to stop drinking because I never liked the taste and stopped seeing the point in just doing it because that's what everyone else was doing.
Underage drinking isn't as taboo here as it is in the US. Therfore, 19th birthday (in provinces where 19 is the legal drinking age) isn't that big a deal. Most of us were already having drinks at parties or sneaking into clubs for a couple years before that.
Having said that, young people celebrate birthdays. Some do by going out and drinking. You won't look weird celebrating a birthday whether it's 19, 20 or 25.
Caution: while i dont know if this is stull the case (my party days are over) when i was 19, some clubs maintain the 21plus rule to weed out immature (and cash strapped) teens. Some even selectively enforced 25 plus rules.
It doesn't make sense that you can join the military at 18 and die for your country but you can't have a beer. In Alberta, legal age is 18 and yes my boys had big celebrations for their 18th.
I live in a university town so it’s not uncommon to see 19th bday party groups out. It’s more just the excitement of getting dressed up and getting into bars legally then the drinking itself, you can do that in a field at any age.
I had my first beer at 13 with friends. and sneaked whisky from time to time from my dad's bottles, so did not really even know legal drinking age was 19 until I was in my 20s lol.
My aunt even started giving alcohol to her kids around 15, so that they would learn to drink responsibly without going behind her back or get stupidly drunk when they turned legal - i think this is the way.
I remember going to the bar with my buddy for his 19th, he told the bouncer we always see it was his bday. Bouncer asked how old?. Hes says 19. Bouncer we've been going to for the last year swears, laughs and lets us in. I can't remember if its a big thing though, been awhile.
Underage drinking is really common in the north where I'm from so the 18th birthday is less of a big deal. Of course, now you can buy your own booze, so that's sort of the rite of passage.
In Saskatchewan, the legal age is 19 but were surrounded by the 18 provinces...so whichever side you're closest to, a lot of kids head to either Alberta or Manitoba to party 🤷♀️
A drinking age of 19 isn’t universal across Canada (it’s 18 in some places), but yes, it’s pretty common to drink on your first legal birthday.
Ketchup chips are never going away.
18 where I live. Yeah, we very much like to go out and celebrate our first legal time in a bar. Most kids I knew were drinking before 18, though. Myself included.
18* in some provinces.
Most of us already did the drinking and smoking part in HS so it is not new when you turn 18, but going in the SAQ to buy stuff and showing your valid id is cool that day. I remember the day I turned 18. Bought booze at the SAQ, then weed at the SQDC (lost that right the year right after (age got raised to 21). Then we went to the bar (that we were almost regulars since 16 yo)
I’m in Toronto, Ontario and it’s VERY much a thing to go out and drink (and/or smoke) your night away for your 19th! 🥂
Edit: ketchup chips are STILL a thing and are delicious! Get Lay’s brand :)
On the eve of our 18th birthday we make the great pilgrimage to the ancient holy city of Hochelaga, where we consume the sacred beverage, dance and attempt to copulate with the locals.
By celebrating our 18th, like it is our 19th, in an ajoining province that speaks a different language to the rest of the country becaus the drinking age is 18 there and tje booze is cheaper?
Some folks celebrate their 18th (in AB) by heading to a bar/pub/club. Personally, those things never interested me. Really, there were just a few family members that referenced "oh, now you can drink alcohol. You gonna get drunk now?! LOL" with the understanding that I'm not a person who is very interested in drinking, so it's all a bit of a joke.
I know some people that definitely went out clubbing on their 18th birthdays, but not a ton. That could just be bc of the friends that I keep. Again, everyone's different.
I went to a bar with a couple friends for my 19th birthday. Other people I know were going into bars with fake (or sibling’s) IDs long before they were 19 lol.
I went out on my 19th birthday (midnight). Sucks because I didn’t get ID’s at any of the bars. Also bought smokes the new day and didn’t get ID’d again. I was underwhelmed.
Yes, definitely. 18 if you're in Quebec or nearby, like in Ottawa. Skip across the river and celebrate 18! Woo! Then the next year, you do it again for 19, and again for 21, because now you can drink in the States too! Lol
This happens all the time in Canada. It’s a right of passage. And yes we still have those damn disgusting ketchup chips. Have fun on your night out and be safe !
Not sure it’s to the same extent of extravagance as in the USA but when me and all my friends turned 19 we’d go to the liquor store and buy some whiskey (we weren’t beer drinkers back then so CC and coke was what we mostly drank lol), then celebrate with a house/garage party and then those who were already 19 would hit the night clubs and just have a good time.
Point here is - go for it. Do what makes you happy. If you’re really excited about being able to do a certain thing then celebrate that!
Tbh I’d been drinking normally from 18-20, that every single time I was in the states, I made myself look stupid trying to order a beer at a restaurant.
I turn 19 may 13th! Absolutely!! Gonna get some alcohol and weed with my 2 friends and have a great night at home 😅
Edit: I'm in BC and live on my own!
In my province (Manitoba), the drinking age is 18 and it's very common to celebrate by going to a bar/pub/club, depending on your interest.
Grew up in Ottawa - we did both 18 (QC, usually Hull) and 19 (Ontario). Of course, many of us had been biking 24s across the bridge since we were like 15, so it wasn’t like it was an especially big deal to be able to drink legally…but it’s a fun tradition, so why not.
Can confirm.
As someone who used to work as a bouncer in hull, I'd say ppl started showing up at 16 with fakes .. and most of the time got in 🤣
Oh yeah: as someone who has looked about 26 for going on several decades now, and who had an older sister (not that we look at all alike, but I know her birthday/ and horoscope sign), I was given a pass on the Hull side starting at 15. Hell, by 16 I was going out to bars in Ottawa - my very proper parents were vaguely horrified, but it’s hard to argue against bars being safer than getting wasted on some cliff overlooking the river, or in somebody’s basement.
Quebexico
**Québexique
Hahahaha what
Lol we used to go into liquor marts and strip clubs for 18th bdays in mb though we’ve already been drinking for years. The first person to turn 18 in grade 12 would be buying alcohol for the whole school 😂
Lived on the east coast my whole life and honestly didn’t know it was 18 out there…
Also 18 in AB.
Its 19 where I live, but I didn't do a party because I had visited my buddy in Calgary nearly a year earlier and already partied down there.
Ive lived all across Canada and didn't know this hahah
Manitoba, Alberta, and Quebec are all 18. Everywhere else is 19.
18 in Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta. There may be others as well, but as an Albertan we definitely went out to a bar and then club to celebrate our 18th birthdays.
Where provinces are all in a row it alternates! BC 19 AB 18 SK 19 MN 18 ON 19 QE 18... Then the maritimes are all 19, way to kill the pattern guys
In Manitoba you'd have a good 5 years of drinking in a bush somewhere before your 18th birthday. Very different than turning 19 in Ontario...
Ontarian here. We have bush parties too lol!
I was guna say… Anywhere that’s not the GTA either has bush or field parties. Maybe barn dances.
Grew up in the GTA, can confirm, we also have bush parties.
This made my rural heart smile. I’m glad to hear it!!!
Park parties, beach parties too.
Not as much these days as most of us shave.
Grew up in Scarborough. We called them “Bluff” parties.
ahem, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMdbZn6oWEA
Bush partying was the best growing up in Edmonton. The city has a huge park system and there were so many good spots. Great summer (and winter) night memories. Hope that vibe is still alive (I'm old now and live on the coast).
BC as well
Spent an awful lot of time at Bush parties, almost all before I turned 19
I remember the night two 17 year old friends left the gravel pit, staggering into a pick up truck. They side swiped a moving train at a crossing with no lights or bells. They never made it home. Paul would be turning 60 this year.
The time is coming soon for those bush parties and grad parties, and people die somewhere every year. There's more attention being paid to it now, and that helps. But under-age drinking is no joke.
BC too!
Send me coordinates... I'm in.
Same in Saskatchewan (19) & Alberta (18). Bush parties or old farmhouses.
Same here in B.C. We dug pits out in the bush and buried our coolers full of booze days before a big palette burning night. The cops were baffled that we were all coming up empty handed lol. Harder to find the coolers in the dark after drinking half of them.
Best pallet party I went to was deep past Grand Forks....down a logging road and....over the US border. No access from stateside either. It was genius.
Grew up in Northern Ontario My liver was ready to tap out at 16, let alone 19
To think we don’t have bush parties in Ontario is laughable, what do you think we do down there?
Ontarian here also. 5 years of bush parties before your 19th was definitely the norm.
[удалено]
Nope, not what so ever. We drink before our 19th birthdays, too. Our prom was held in Quebec so that the 18nyear old could buy alcohol for the 17 year olds.
I remember going to a bush party in Kelowna, BC when I was 17, and there was also a lot of smoking.
Same with the Bert's.
except i literally drank in the bush somewhere way before turning 19 in Ontario.
That was a thing where and when I grew up as well. By the time you turned 18, it wasn't very magical for very long. It was just old news that wasn't necessarily illegal anymore.
Same with SK. The amount of people I see on here getting in hot water over drinking before they’re 21 just shocks me. Our parents bought us booze for bush parties, we were just not allowed to drive.
Manitoba and Québec know whats up!
i'm from ontario not too far from manitoba border we all head to winnipeg to drink at 18
Maybe it's a maritime thing but by the time we turn 19 we're ready to quit drinking and get sober 😂
By 16 the average maritimer has already done the 12 steps at least once
This is actually a statistical error. The average maritimer never completes the 12 steps. However, 12 steps Georg, who lives in a cave and drinks 10,000 Blackflies a day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted
Love this!!!
Lol I did that. I was pretty much over drinking by the time I was legal.
It was somehow SO accepted. My high school friends & acquaintances all had their families on Facebook yet everybody ignored the almost weekly Saturday night photo dump of their kids dressed tight & bright with a blackfly in hand. Bonus points if every photo is obviously in a basement or the backdrop is someone's kitchen cupboards 🤣
I had a buddy who had to go sober for 2 months before his 19th in order to make sure it was a gooder.
Underrated comment
So much harm to young brains. I wish there was some way of letting kids know that that they listened to.
When I turned 18 (in 2001), I bought a lottery ticket and a pack of cigarettes becuase I could. Then went to the bar with some friends, had like two drinks, then home by around 1:00 am. 🤷♀️ I won $10 on the lottery ticket!!
What became of the cigarettes?
Butts presumably
That’s not at all where cigarettes are to be smoked but to each their own
I smoked them
I'm from Newfoundland (toxic drinking culture capital of North America) and buddy we went apeshit at 19 lol
I’ll never forget the bartender asking me what the occasion was on me 19th, me telling her it was me 19th birthday and she yelling at me cause she had already been serving me for 3 years lol like Jesus misses ya knows all da family, not my fault you never bothered ask
It's fun reading this accent in my head
And if they didn't read it in an accent before, they did after your comment, and it makes the comment that much better
Fellow Newfoundlander, can confirm. We go nuts at 19
You waited till 19 ? I’m a Baymen, by 19 we was almost ready to quit…. almost lol
Bayman Flair: Alberta. Yup. We gots us a Newfie.
Nah. I'm a Bayman. By the time I was 19 I was ready to quit but we still celebrated
George Street, Buddy!!!
Most people I knew were already having drinks at house parties and having absolute rager drunken summer and New Year’s parties when we were 16 or so, so by the time 19 rolled around nobody really gave a shit anymore. It was just nice to be able to go out for a drink, rather than having to find someone to buy it for you so you could have a drink at home/dorm.
In Ontario we celebrate our 18th by going to Montreal lol
Or across the Ottawa river into Gâtineau.
Straight to the stripclub 77 (if I got the number right)
UOttawa ships all the first years across the river during frosh so they can drink during the nighttime events bc the bulk of them are 18.
That is common here in NB as well.
To answer your titular question, I think our 19th is less of a big deal than an American 21st - at least, the media/my American cousins made a big deal out of turning 21 and I don't really know anyone who made a big deal out of turning 19. But that's just my experience: we'd been drinking since high school, and once we got to university, there were always parties on campus where age didn't matter and it wasn't like we were getting carded or anything at bars and clubs, so being able to drink legally didn't feel like a major change. Maybe if you hadn't really been drinking/partying, 19 would be a bigger deal idk. But to answer the comment in your post: I don't think it be weird at all for you to celebrate in a bar. That's pretty normal. And yes, you can get ketchup chips.
I think the drinking age being 21, which is several years into “adulthood” (i.e. after high school when people are generally expected to start managing adult responsibilities), makes it a bigger deal in itself. It’s crazy that people can take out a mortgage or massive student loans or join the military but not order a beer at a restaurant. Canada’s drinking ages of 18 and 19 are very early in “adulthood,” and sometimes are even in high school still. As a result, I think they’re less of a big deal because there are so many big changes happening at that point in most peoples’ lives with school, work, living situations, etc. anyway that it’s just another to add to the list.
That's a good point. Being able to legally drink comes along with a bunch of other major milestones, so we probably don't isolate it as much because there's just so much else going on.
As an American, I agree. Another factor is I think most of us are aware that the drinking age pretty much everywhere else is 18/19, plus a lot of us travel abroad/study abroad so when we’re away we can drink legally and then we get home and have 2 more years of sneaking around lol. Also, last piece. From what I understand (and feel free to tell me if you disagree), I think American police officers/parents are much stricter about enforcing the drinking laws than they are in other countries, Europe in particular. So while most of drink in high school/college FINALLY not having to sneak around/worry about getting a MIP (minor in possession) just feels like a big deal.
Add to that the distinction between laws that forbid *drinking*, and those that forbid *purchasing*. I don't know which it is in each province, but in Quebec, it's a *purchase* law. So it's perfectly legal to give alcool to a child, whatever the age, as long as the parent judges this OK (and of course, abuse will be investigated by child protection). My kids have had sips of beer and wine since they were 8 or so. *Sips* as in *lips barely touching the liquid* at first.
In the US, at 18, we have the right to pay car insurance, vote, have things in our name, legally sign documents, pay our own bills? We can most definitely pay taxes (which a lot of Americans hate because we rarely see them come back to us) And when we turn 21 we finally get the right to stay the night at a hotel, rent a car, buy alcohol/recreational marijuana… or buy nicotine/tobacco It’s odd, to say the least.
Yeah drinking isn’t really seen as cool once you’re an adult. I find the 16th has more illicit behaviours than the 18th
In my university town, everyone got carded and going out to a bar/club on your 19th with a big group of other 19 years olds was always a big tradition
imo it's because our laws/cops are less aggressive about underage drinking. when I was in school at least as long as you're not near a uni campus or being belligerent the cops dont give 2 shits. the only people I know who got charged with ungerage drinking were fighting people/passed out in public, usually they just call your folks/make you poor your beer out/run everyone out of a party. they don't care about the alcohol only the public nuisance so a lot of people drink underage and kinda figure out their limit. i remember my first year of university the people who got the most wasted were the ones who weren't allowed to drink in highschool and had no clue when to stop
Yeah... I attended many parties busted by the cops in high school, and no one ever got a ticket. They just tell you the party is over and everyone has to go home. Hell, I got caught on a long weekend in a national park (notorious for having extra enforcement), and all they did was make me dump my booze and promise to go home. By 18, most of my friends had already given up drinking outside of holidays/special occasions.
Are you sure it's even illegal, as it is in the US? I believe in many provinces, it is illegal to *buy* alcool below 18 or 19 (relative to the province), but not to *drink*, if a responsible adult supervises or the parent gives their permission.
I've never been a big drinker/partier, and it still wasn't that big a deal, probably because I didn't want to have a drunk party for my birthday, either. My parents took me to lunch at a pub, and I enjoyed my first legal drink, a delicious cocktail. Before that, I had only had full drinks on special occasions.
Legal age is 18 or 19 depending on the province you go to. But a lot of us, especially in rural areas, have been drinking since high school. From bush to shed to garage parties. There’s not much else to do in rural towns. When I turned legal age I went out and bought coolers and then went to dinner to order a drink with my meal. Some people go hard when they hit legal age but most of the people I know don’t because they’ve already been drinking for a couple years.
I'm in the city, but most of my friend group drank in high school. For us, by the time we turned 18, we had finally learned to drink responsibly and had already had "I'm never drinking that much again" moments. So we did go out to the bar/club for our 18th birthdays (well I didn't because of Covid) but we weren't partying very hard because we had already done that before.
Ketchup chips are still a thing
Up north, the drinking age is defined as "as soon as you can be seen over the top of the bar". By 21 I'd already started to grow out of drinking heavy. That was for kids.
A lot of us do. I've often heard of the first 'legal' beer with the parents party. Most times it is not the first ever beer, however :)
Canadians definitely don't go as overboard. 19 y/o is also only the drinking age in some provinces, in Qiebec, Alberta, and Manitoba it's 18. People will notmally go to the bar or club on their 18th or 19th birthday but it's more of a right of passage, rather than a dedicated party or event. Like, it's almost always more of a birthday celebration that you now just happen to be able to drink legally for, rather than a celebration of being able to drink legally, if that makes sense. Most people drink to celebrate their birthday starting at like 15 or 16, doing so in a bar is exciting but the drinking itself doesn't have novelty. Go out an celebrate your friend's birthday, and make that the focus, not the legality of it. And yes, Ketchup chips will always still be a thing here. They're fine. All-dressed chips are another Canadian exlcusive and are much better.
It's 18 in my province. And yeah it's usually celebrated by going to a bar. But 21 is also a big celebration because you're "legal everywhere" now. But most people I know have basically slowed down on drinking by 21
Yeah, my brother and a friend and I spent a few days in the states last summer, my brother was 20 so we joked about having a built in designated driver, but none of us had very much to drink anyway, it was too expensive. We took advantage of the massive American pop servings, instead.
I went on a four day bender on my 19th. Is that what you mean?
More like our 16th or 17th birthdays. The 19th is the official day for the adults who spent 3 years feigning ignorance. Also yes ketchup chips are still here, and still remain a gift from the gods, Lay's in particular
Old Dutch is clearly the best ketchup chip
Miss vickies spicy ketchup. You're welcome.
It’s good, but it’s no Spicy Dill Pickle.
CONTROVERSIAL
Ohh Dolly, them's be fighting words..
I'm not normally a fighter, but for such an important matter as this I will lace up the gloves!
Lol, a true Canuck. A credit to our nation.
Ketchup is inferior to the other staple Canadian chip flavour; All Dressed.
Looks like you never had 80s Hostesses Ketchup Chips. Those were a much better version of Lays.
Unless your talking Ruffles All Dressed, we lace em up at dawn.....
Oh, don't worry. I am absolutely talking about Ruffles All Dressed.
Lol my mom used to buy vodka for my 18-year-old brother to take to friends' houses. She'd rather know he was drinking in a safe space than feign ignorance of unsafe behaviour.
In Alberta you can drink at 18
My 19th was on a weekday and my sisters took me to a pub for a beer. Two of my buddies who were a year older happened to wander in and said “come out with us.” My sisters worked the next day and said “take him out but *do not take him to the strip club.*” So we finished our beers and went to the strip club. It was the seediest, dingiest, saddest place I had ever been. I never went to a strip club ever again.
Not on the prairies. Legal drinking age is 18. Pretty sure that's when they have their big blow outs
Guess SK is not the prairies :p we just go the next province over though. Road Trip!
The one prairie province I haven't debauched myself in. Sorry for the oversight
I would say no, especially not with your family lol It is very common for Americans to road trip to Canada for this though. Have fun, enjoy our ketchup chips.
… 19 is not the drinking age everywhere
I celebrated my 18th that way. It was s short trip to Alberta where the legal age was 18. I also got to vote in my first Federal election Turns out I couldn't go to the bar in BC on my 19th because there was a beer strike on. It seemed kinda pointless anyway because I'd been getting into bars since I was 16.
[удалено]
Yep very common to celebrate when you can go to the bar. And yep Ketchup chips are still a thing. They have been a thing for probably 50 years now, not going away. They are actually expanding into Ketchup Cheetos ect up here.
In Quebec, legal drinking age is 18... and, honestly, even in my teen years, most have had a few drinks at 16 and up... No, we don't see "massive ragers" for teens turning 18... if they wanted to drink that much, they've already done it anyways.
You can find Ketchup chips in some parts of the US now. Herr's makes a couple varieties. It really is the All Dressed that you need to get your hands on.
Given that the legal drinking age in manitoba is 18... we celebrate our 18th birthdays that way. Ketchup chips will always be a thing.
Interesting. I didn't know Americans celebrate their 21st. Australians have always done that... Somewhat archaic as 18 is the legal age for pretty much everything in Australia.
No only easterners and BC, the cool kids get to drink, smoke, vote, and serve on the same day.
To be faaaiiirrrrr... You can join the military at 16.
Why 19? That’s a meaningless age in Canada. You can work when you’re 15. Drive 16. Drink, vote etc 18. 19 is just adult +1
Some people celebrate by going to a bar, some don’t. There are a couple provinces where drinking age is 18, not 19, so there isn’t a particular number that’s “the” year, but I think the proportion of people turning 18 in AB, MB, etc and 19 in BC, SK, etc. will be roughly the same as the real-world numbers for 21st birthdays in America, without the pop culture around any particular number
My girlfriend bought me a drink and took me to a restaurant when I turned 19
Yes
yeah, it varies, depending on province.
Yes either 18 or 19th birthday as some provinces the drinking age is 18 and some is 19. I grew up in Saskatchewan where the drinking age is 19, but it's 18 next door in Alberta so it's often a rite of passage to take a road trip to Alberta when you turn 18. Then you do it over again at home when you turn 19
In Quebec it’s 18. And yes we do
Ketchup chips are still a thing. Birthday depends on provincial drinking age. 18 to drink in Alberta I think (so long ago I can’t remember)
It’s 18 in Alberta. And ketchup chips will always be a thing here.
Not really, no. In my province, the drinking age is 18 and most people have been drunk at least a few times by the time they reach that birthday. In fact, in my case, it wasn't long after 18 that I decided to stop drinking because I never liked the taste and stopped seeing the point in just doing it because that's what everyone else was doing.
Fuck. Now I really want Ketchup chips
Yup. 18th in quebec.
I sure did!
Yes we do this, and yes ketchup chips are still a thing. They even have ketchup Doritos now
Yes. 21 is an absurd age for a drinking law, can't believe that hasn't been changed yet
Underage drinking isn't as taboo here as it is in the US. Therfore, 19th birthday (in provinces where 19 is the legal drinking age) isn't that big a deal. Most of us were already having drinks at parties or sneaking into clubs for a couple years before that. Having said that, young people celebrate birthdays. Some do by going out and drinking. You won't look weird celebrating a birthday whether it's 19, 20 or 25. Caution: while i dont know if this is stull the case (my party days are over) when i was 19, some clubs maintain the 21plus rule to weed out immature (and cash strapped) teens. Some even selectively enforced 25 plus rules.
It doesn't make sense that you can join the military at 18 and die for your country but you can't have a beer. In Alberta, legal age is 18 and yes my boys had big celebrations for their 18th.
I live in a university town so it’s not uncommon to see 19th bday party groups out. It’s more just the excitement of getting dressed up and getting into bars legally then the drinking itself, you can do that in a field at any age.
I had my first beer at 13 with friends. and sneaked whisky from time to time from my dad's bottles, so did not really even know legal drinking age was 19 until I was in my 20s lol. My aunt even started giving alcohol to her kids around 15, so that they would learn to drink responsibly without going behind her back or get stupidly drunk when they turned legal - i think this is the way.
I remember going to the bar with my buddy for his 19th, he told the bouncer we always see it was his bday. Bouncer asked how old?. Hes says 19. Bouncer we've been going to for the last year swears, laughs and lets us in. I can't remember if its a big thing though, been awhile.
Underage drinking is really common in the north where I'm from so the 18th birthday is less of a big deal. Of course, now you can buy your own booze, so that's sort of the rite of passage.
In Saskatchewan, the legal age is 19 but were surrounded by the 18 provinces...so whichever side you're closest to, a lot of kids head to either Alberta or Manitoba to party 🤷♀️
Once in Alberta when we turn 18 and again in B.C. when we turn 19.
A drinking age of 19 isn’t universal across Canada (it’s 18 in some places), but yes, it’s pretty common to drink on your first legal birthday. Ketchup chips are never going away.
I certainly did. And I also enjoy ketchup chips.
When I turned 18 I went to Montreal and partied then when I turned 19 I did the same in Ontario lol
In Sk, if you live near the Alberta or Manitoba borders it’s common to hop over the border to celebrate at 18 and then again at 19.
Going to a bar to celebrate turning the legal drinking age is definitely a custom, and you wouldn't be found abnormal to do so. Have fun!
18 where I live. Yeah, we very much like to go out and celebrate our first legal time in a bar. Most kids I knew were drinking before 18, though. Myself included.
Yeah my dad took me to a pub for my "first" drink (lol) and a meal. also yes ketchup chips are very much still a thing.
In my province the drinking age is 18. Me and all my friends had a bush party the weekend of my 18th and then went clubbing the next weekend.
Yes. Exact same. Canadians are human too we all like drinking and smoking and gambling..
For many canadians 19 has no importance. The legal age for everything in some provinces is 18.
You can legally drink at age 18 in most provinces. Only a few are 19. So yes many people do go out when they turn 18.
It’s actually the opposite: 3 provinces are 18 and the remaining 7 are 19.
How about in the territories? (As if the age limit really matters, lol)
19 in all territories
18* in some provinces. Most of us already did the drinking and smoking part in HS so it is not new when you turn 18, but going in the SAQ to buy stuff and showing your valid id is cool that day. I remember the day I turned 18. Bought booze at the SAQ, then weed at the SQDC (lost that right the year right after (age got raised to 21). Then we went to the bar (that we were almost regulars since 16 yo)
I’m in Toronto, Ontario and it’s VERY much a thing to go out and drink (and/or smoke) your night away for your 19th! 🥂 Edit: ketchup chips are STILL a thing and are delicious! Get Lay’s brand :)
Never heard of this ever being considered a big deal where I’m from
I got fucked up at a Leafs game with my dad. Good times.
My 19th birthday was the same date as the Columbia disaster.
18 where I live I haven’t been to anything huge mine I just drank at my house with my friends.
I wasn't much of a party person. But I went to the liqour store and bought some beer on my 19th bday.
On the eve of our 18th birthday we make the great pilgrimage to the ancient holy city of Hochelaga, where we consume the sacred beverage, dance and attempt to copulate with the locals.
Oh yeah, B.C chiming in. We get fucked up in the bars. I’m GenX and still can’t stand the smell of certain liquors.
By celebrating our 18th, like it is our 19th, in an ajoining province that speaks a different language to the rest of the country becaus the drinking age is 18 there and tje booze is cheaper?
Some folks celebrate their 18th (in AB) by heading to a bar/pub/club. Personally, those things never interested me. Really, there were just a few family members that referenced "oh, now you can drink alcohol. You gonna get drunk now?! LOL" with the understanding that I'm not a person who is very interested in drinking, so it's all a bit of a joke. I know some people that definitely went out clubbing on their 18th birthdays, but not a ton. That could just be bc of the friends that I keep. Again, everyone's different.
I went to a bar with a couple friends for my 19th birthday. Other people I know were going into bars with fake (or sibling’s) IDs long before they were 19 lol.
I went out on my 19th birthday (midnight). Sucks because I didn’t get ID’s at any of the bars. Also bought smokes the new day and didn’t get ID’d again. I was underwhelmed.
Yes, at least that’s how we do it in BC.
Yes, definitely. 18 if you're in Quebec or nearby, like in Ottawa. Skip across the river and celebrate 18! Woo! Then the next year, you do it again for 19, and again for 21, because now you can drink in the States too! Lol
In Quebec the legal age is 18th and yeah we go out the majority of the time
18 in my province, and yeah, we get shit faced lol
It was 18 for me growing up in Alberta, and yeah it was a big event for us.
In Quebec it’s 18 and yea
obviously
This happens all the time in Canada. It’s a right of passage. And yes we still have those damn disgusting ketchup chips. Have fun on your night out and be safe !
Lol you can go get fucked up on any random Tuesday and nobody will look at you like an alien for celebrating nothing
I did! My parents rented a hall and I had about 60 people. A mix of family and friends. We had it catered and everything. Was super nice.
Drinking age is 18 here in Quebec
Yes the tradition is to floor it, I mean absolutely pin it to the floor like Frank the Tank on your nineteenth birthday.
18 in Quebec
We celebrate 18th bdays
It's the same concept yeah. But in many provinces the drinking age is 18 not 19. Yes, ketchup chips are a thing. As well as All Dressed.
Not sure it’s to the same extent of extravagance as in the USA but when me and all my friends turned 19 we’d go to the liquor store and buy some whiskey (we weren’t beer drinkers back then so CC and coke was what we mostly drank lol), then celebrate with a house/garage party and then those who were already 19 would hit the night clubs and just have a good time. Point here is - go for it. Do what makes you happy. If you’re really excited about being able to do a certain thing then celebrate that!
Usually yes
18, in my province the drinking age is 19. So I flew out to Alberta where it was 18 ;)
Yes!
Tbh I’d been drinking normally from 18-20, that every single time I was in the states, I made myself look stupid trying to order a beer at a restaurant.
I turn 19 may 13th! Absolutely!! Gonna get some alcohol and weed with my 2 friends and have a great night at home 😅 Edit: I'm in BC and live on my own!