In chemical terms, alcohol is an organic compound formed during the fermentation of grains, vegetables or fruits. Medically, alcohol is classified as a sedative (as opposed to a stimulant like caffeine or a hallucinogen like psilocybin) with a variety of physiological effects. Most of these effects involve slowing down or obstructing bodily functions. For example, alcohol inhibits bodily motor functions and slows reaction times. The more you drink, the slower and clumsier they become. Similarly, alcohol also hinders the brain`s communication pathways. While one or two drinks can make a person looser and more relaxed, continued consumption leads to symptoms such as slurred speech, cloudy thinking, and poor decision-making. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to additional complications such as vomiting, memory loss, drowsiness up to fainting, and in extreme cases, alcohol poisoning. Finally, long-term excessive alcohol consumption can contribute to serious physiological conditions, including (but not limited to) pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, liver disease, hyperglycemia, cancer, and various neurological disorders. The legal drinking age in Iceland is 20.
grocery stores only have low-alcohol beer; All other liquor is sold in state-controlled stores called Vínbúð with limited opening hours. If you arrive by plane and want stronger alcohol with you, we recommend that you get alcohol at the airport. This saves you a lot of time and money. According to the report, in 2016, more than 50% of people in America, Europe and the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, Oceania) drank alcoholic beverages. For comparison, in 2016, only 32.2% of people in Africa and 33.1% of people in Southeast Asia (India, North Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.) drank. In addition, 94.9% of the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Yemen, etc.) abstained from alcohol throughout their lives. Alcohol consumption is illegal in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, at least for Muslims. On March 1, 1989, beer was finally legalized, and since then, Icelanders have celebrated Beer Day on that day. Beer is currently the most popular alcoholic beverage in Iceland. In retrospect, the arguments against legalizing beer seem quite strange. The age of purchase is 20, not 21.
Unlike other countries, it is not illegal to drink just to give alcohol to minors so that the offending party is the bar, not the buyer, so there is no chance of going to jail because they are minors. Traditionally, drinking was a nighttime activity, with Icelanders usually not going to bars until well after midnight. However, in recent years, we have seen an increase in happy hour culture, well known in other countries where people go for a cheap drink or two after work and then go home (or continue to party…). The rules for drunk driving in Iceland are very strict, so be careful! You couldn`t plan a trip to Iceland without learning about Reykjavik`s crazy nightlife. Reykjavik at night is a place where mass public consumption from Thursday night to Sunday morning is quite socially acceptable, even if it is technically illegal. It may seem confusing at first, but there`s a reason for everything, including Icelandic shopping habits and nightlife. The drinking age in Iceland is 21 to 20 years, i.e. You must be 21 to 20 years old to buy alcohol.
However, you can enter bars at the age of 18, with the exception of bars/clubs that have set their own age restrictions, which are higher. It`s not uncommon for Icelanders to brew their own beer, although it`s technically illegal to make alcohol stronger than 2.5% at home. Despite the brewing rules, it is easy to buy brewing equipment in the country, and the government is debating whether home brewing laws should be changed on a reasonably regular basis. Don`t miss the clubs and bars while you`re here – there`s always live entertainment somewhere, whether it`s jazz, a DJ or a comedy night, and Reykjavík is a relatively small city, so plenty of places are within walking distance of each other. While I feel much safer here than in other cities, of course you need to drink responsibly and certainly don`t leave your drink alone while you`re outside. And, of course, never drink and drive. You may also notice that people drink outside in public. It is absolutely essential to make sure that you are not causing problems, causing public nuisance or leaving your garbage on the ground.
Also, keep in mind that bars and clubs may not want you to bring your open containers into their facilities, so always follow the rules. Finally, the legal drinking age in Iceland is 20. You cannot have 0.02% or more of alcohol in your blood. That`s four times less than what you can legally have in many states in the United States or England. So if you had a drink in the evening, you probably don`t want to drive the next day. When I was there about a month ago, I didn`t have any problems in any bar. Even if I`m old enough to drink legally, I might look like I`m 16. No one ever asked me for ID in the various bars in Reykjavik that I visited/drank. On weekends, most bars and clubs close at 4:30am and some at 3:00am.
The legal opening hours were 5:30 a.m., but just over a year ago, the laws were changed. On weekdays, most bars close at 1:00 a.m. and some a little earlier. So this winter, I`m finally going to Iceland with my best friend, and I`m very excited. However, he will be 20 about a month before our trip and I will not be 20 until a month after our trip. So my question is: how lenient are most Icelandic bars with their alcohol restrictions? Am I fucked? Or is there a chance I can hang out in bars? I mean, sure, he could just buy alcohol and we drink it before we go to bars, could I even go inside? I don`t want to get drunk so much as I want to socialize, meet people, and experience the nightlife I`ve heard so much about.