Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Eighteen is a milestone birthday to celebrate as it marks the transition into adulthood. I have previously talked about how with this newfound maturity I am now eligible to begin learning how to drive, but a more controversial aspect of turning 18 is the ability to consume alcohol legally.
Alcohol has been an accepted part of life in Bahrain since I was a child. Although over the years the country has tightened its licensing laws, it is still possible to purchase alcohol on the island; either at specific shops, with a meal at a restaurant or out at one of the many bars around the country.
Yet despite the legal age for alcohol consumption in Bahrain being 18, I find that some establishments ignore this rule and opt to dictate their own drinking limits. Occasionally I am still refused service in some places as I am under the age of 21.
Here in Bahrain, the legal drinking age is 18 and it is unfair that some places are allowed to simply create their own restrictions instead of conforming to law.
I find that various restaurants and bars use this sudden rule change to discriminate against those they don’t want inside their institutions, and ignore it for those who they do.
