@Joblue , while I would agree that binge drinking does happen in Europe, I would still say it isn’t nearly as extreme as in the US. I did a gap year abroad and while my friends and I did get drunk, it was never to blackout or vomiting levels and drinking in a bar/club over a longer period of time where the bartender can cut you off and knows a standard pour definitely helps.
In the US, at least at my college and from what I’ve heard from my friends, drinking until blackout or vomiting is seen as an achievement to many people, not something to be embarrassed by (particularly at fraternities…). Drinking involves a lot more hard liquor and is done over a shorter period of time- people drink the same number of drinks they might on a night out in Europe in a span of 3-4 hours versus 6-7. And drinking is pretty exclusively done to get drunk, at least until 21- wine or beer with dinner isn’t really a thing. So in those regards I would say a drinking age of 18 helps.