The Bible describes wine as a gift from God that can make life more enjoyable. that are put in place for our protection in God’s providence (Rom. age restrictions for alcohol consumption, intoxication level limits while driving a vehicle, etc.) The Irish Catholic is Ireland’s biggest and best-selling religious newspaper. When one knows his drinking to be both immoderate and intoxicating, this is a sin grouped with gluttony. It’s extremely black and white: Again, every baptized Catholic on the planet is either in sanctifying grace or mortal sin… But complete abstention is never advocated as a universal obligation. Provided you are not providing a near occasion of sin to one of your peers who will not handle underage drinking as well as you would, it is the same as breaking any other law in the belief that you are not violating the spirit and intention for which the law was passed. The newspaper, published weekly, provides a lively mix of news, analysis and informed commentary about the Church and social issues as they affect Ireland and the wider-world. Every Catholic on the planet is either in sanctifying grace or mortal sin. I was just at confession and asked my priest if underage drinking was a sin. The Bible describes wine as a gift from God that can make life more enjoyable. We are commanded to heed civil laws (e.g. Drinking is good, alcohol, like food is a gift of God, but must be used with moderation and gratitude. I was pretty surprised because he said yes. The only way a Catholic can lose sanctifying grace is by committing a mortal sin. 13:1). Total abstinence is promoted and practiced in Catholic circles, and for many people it may be the only effective solution even for immoderate drinking. Drinking alcoholic beverages needs to be approached with maturity, wisdom, restraint, and most of all, love for God and our neighbor (Mark 12:30–31). Drinking becomes a sin when it starts to impair one’s reasoning. Even secular judges use their discretion to hand out probation and a suspended sentence or a light sentence for someone who is … hi!

It seems kind of arbitrary to me as the drinking age is so variable worldwide, and the drinking age where I live is much higher than average (21 in US). in some countries it's as low as 14! There is no grey area in this matter.

It is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation.