Youthful drinking in Poland

A few years ago Gazeta Wyborcza ran a survey asking whether the legal drinking age in Poland should be lowered from 18 to 21 as in the USA. Believe it or not, a majority (about two-thirds if I recall) agreed.

That might suggest that many young Poles are pressured into drinking by peer pressure because that is supposedly cool, neat, trendy, in, etc. and ingest more alcohol and often than they would like largely out of a need to belong rather than personal preference.

At present many 15-16-year-old get wasted regularly because they can get 18-year-olds to buy booze and beer for them. But (as borne out in the States), a 21-year-old is far more likely to consider buying booze for a snot-faced 15-year-old as being below his dignity. He might do so for his 18 and 19 year old mates...

I like the anagram ;)

Try O A P D L N, it's more subtle

Are there fines/arrests for purchasing beer for youths in PL? I was quite surprised to see a high school party at a pub my first time in PL. It doesn't seem like many places will card you to get in to a pub. Some clubs maybe, but It looks like as long as your arm can reach the bar with zloty, you're served a cold one.

I am quite surprised here, I honestly didn't think that it was popular for kids to drink in Poland, it sounds like Poland is fastly catching up with the West, what a shame, drunken girls = more teenage pregnancies and more STD's and a standard in school work dropping...

Internationally, alcohol is seen as 'cool' amongst the youth. Poland is no exception but it's not that prevalent I'd say

Can someone clarify this for me please ?

I thought the minimum age for purchasing alcohol in Poland was 18 but that was NO minimum age for consumption of alcohol. Is this correct ?