Well I was born and raise in a country where the drinking age is 18 (which is the legal age for everything driving, drinking, voting etc) and I can tell you from my experience that binge drinking and other alcohol related issues are not encountered as much as they are here.

Not sure if it is the age or the fact that people are more open about alchol (among other things) in France but there is definitely a respect and more moderation where I come from.