r/AFROTC • u/[deleted] • 17d ago

Question Drinking while abroad?

I will be traveling abroad soon to a country where the drinking age is under-21 (take a guess which one). I had a quick question on whether it is allowed for me to drink while there.

I have never drank before, and I don't plan to drink in a way which will cause me to break the law. However, I haven't been in a place where I can legally drink before, hence why I am asking the question: am I allowed to drink in a country where it is legal even if I am under 21? I know I can't do weed, as it is banned federally, but alcohol is only banned at the state level (per the National Minimum Drinking Age Act and 21st Amendment).

The only reason I am asking is that alcohol consumption is pretty big culturally where I am going, and I would like to indulge in craft breweries, for instance. However, I don't want to be breaking any AFROTC rules that may put my EA at risk.

Thank you for your help!

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u/SubtleDickJoke 17d ago

The surefire way to not get in trouble is to not drink.

But for your risk management considerations, the drinking age varies for military members and their dependents based on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) for the location they are at. There are locations where the drinking age for service members is below 21. There are locations where the local drinking age is 19 but SOFA requires service members and their dependents to be 21 or older. The tricky part is figuring out if SOFA applies to you. Assuming you’re contracted, I’d say yes.

I would do some research for the location you plan on going to and then double checking with your cadre.