While a drink or two while vacationing in Mexico isn`t usually a cause for concern, it`s important to know and follow the country`s alcohol laws to avoid drunk driving and public drunkenness. Also take care of your surroundings and follow our simple safety tips and you should be able to avoid potential legal problems and have a safe and enjoyable time in Mexico. While Cancun`s supermarkets are only allowed to sell alcohol until 11pm, you`ll find plenty of bars serving local specialties. 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). Youth (or those who look young) should be asked to present photo identification to verify their proof of age – usually a driver`s license or passport. This requirement applies to the purchase of alcohol in shops, restaurants and bars (in Mexico, beer, wine and spirits are ubiquitous, even available in supermarkets).

When it comes to drinking at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, the legal age is 18. Many young people come to Mexico thinking it`s free for everyone when it comes to drinking, but that`s not always the case. Many states in Mexico have specific restrictions on the purchase of alcohol. You may run the risk of getting sick if drinking strange or spoiled beverages can get sick. Local authorities have reported that some people have even died after drinking poisoned alcohol. Residents of bars and clubs should be more careful and vigilant. If you suspect something is wrong with your drink, use common sense to stop drinking. The legal drinking age in Mexico – in every state in the country – is 18.

Bivariate relationships between different characteristics of alcohol consumption in Mexico by sex are presented in Table 3. About half of the men and one-quarter of the women in the sample reported travelling to Mexico in the 12 months prior to the survey interview. These proportions rose to almost two-thirds of men and just over half of women, if only current drinkers were considered. However, only about one-third of these current drinkers drank alcohol in Mexico while there, regardless of gender. The average number of beverages consumed in Mexico was relatively high for both sexes, as was the proportion of drinkers who reported excessive drinking in Mexico. Men and women who reported drinking alcohol in Mexico did so primarily with family or friends, and the place of alcohol consumption was generally a private environment (home, home of a friend or relative, party, wedding), although about a quarter of men and more than a third of women reported drinking in public places such as bars. Taverns, clubs, hotels and restaurants. Bivariate relationships between the different baseline characteristics and alcohol consumption in Mexico over the past 12 months are presented in Table 1. There were differences in age and income between drinkers who drank only in the United States and drinkers who drank in the United States and Mexico.

Nearly half of drinkers aged 18 to 20 reported drinking in Mexico in the past 12 months. Conversely, alcohol consumption rates in Mexico did not exceed 25.6% for any other age group. Drinkers who drank in the U.S. reported only 30 percent more annual family income than those who drank on both sides of the border. For other sociodemographic variables, between two-thirds and nearly 96% of the sample drank from each characteristic category in Table 1 only in the United States. An exception is the group that declared the religion « Jewish/other ». This group was divided almost equally between those who drank only in the United States and those who drank in Mexico and the United States. Previous analyses of the dataset analyzed here, comparing Mexican Americans at the border with those living in non-border areas (primarily Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California), confirm some of these differences between border and non-border samples.

For example, although men and women at the border report higher weekly alcohol consumption than men and women outside the border, rates of alcohol consumption, heavy drinking, alcohol abuse and dependence, as well as the social consequences of alcohol consumption are comparable for both sexes (Caetano, Mills and Vaeth, 2012; Caetano et al., in press; Vaeth, Caetano, Mills, & Rodriguez, 2012). However, these overall rates mask important differences between Mexican Americans who border and non-border in the 18 to 29 age group. Among men aged 18 to 29, rates of binge drinking at and off the border were 48% and 36%, respectively, last year. Among women aged 18 to 29, the rate of heavy drinking at and off the border is 26% and 14%, respectively (Caetano et al., 2012). Similarly, rates of alcohol abuse and dependence at 12 months are higher among men at the border (9% and 24%) than among men outside the border (5% and 19%) (Caetano et al., in press). For alcohol-related social problems (e.g. quarrels, work problems, family problems), the 12-month rates for one or more problems are also higher for men at the border (34%) than for men outside the border (29%) and for women at the border (15%) compared to women outside the border (5%) (Vaeth et al., 2012). Therefore, alcohol consumption by Mexican Americans in their twenties at the border is certainly more difficult than the alcohol consumption of their counterparts in non-border areas, which also leads to higher rates of related problems.

While the legal age for Americans is 21, it is a few years younger for locals. The legal drinking age in Mexico is 18. Maybe that`s why Mexico is at the top of the travel list. Open liquor containers are not legal in Mexico, so you should avoid drinking open alcohol in public. If you buy drinks from a disposable cup at a bar or club, make sure you finish them before you leave. Many young people go to the beaches of Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Los Cabos with alcohol, sometimes because they realize that the legal drinking age in Mexico is three years below the minimum age (21) in the United States. Proof of age is also required if you order alcoholic beverages from resorts, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Whether you`re on a family vacation in Cancun or Playa del Carmen, Mexico is the same age to drink. That doesn`t mean that if you have your parents or family with you, you can get away with drinking age limits in Mexico.

However, in cases where the resort seems lenient with this rule, taking the risk is entirely up to you. Mexico has an endless amount of local alcoholic beverages that you should try when visiting the country. Because when will you have the opportunity to taste these drinks, except during your holidays in Mexico? Talk to your children in advance. You can tell them how much alcohol they can drink to keep out of trouble. 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. Public drunkenness is illegal in Mexico, and you can expect this law to be enforced.