As an American where you have to be 21+ to drink

Also, many studies have shown that drinking alcohol in moderation can actually prolong your lifespan.

Okay, but how many people who are partaking in underage drinking are actually mature enough to be moderate with their alcohol intake? Probably very few.

That's what we call natural selection.

21 is when your body is completely done maturing and actually start dying. So you can start drinking when you start dying.

Actually that's only men. Women fully mature physically and mentally at around 18

@serosan
From the moment you are born you begin to die. It doesn't magically start at a certain age.
@guest
<citation needed>

The drinking age is set to protect the youth but hey, why not go get potentially shot or mangled for your country.

Well from what I've seen, as an American, people from other countries who are 18+ and allowed to drink don't go out and get shitfaced all the time like americans who are under 21 do. Because it's allowed at a younger age, it becomes more of a social thing just like Americans who are 21+ mostly treat drinking as a social thing and spend less time getting wasted than those who are under 21. I don't think it's because they've matured by 21, I think it's because it's legal and less exciting to get drunk. If you want to argue that the drinking age is 21 for reasons about the body and mind maturing then why should we be sending out people who haven't fully matured to the battlefields to kill and be killed? That's absolutely foolish. Either let them wait until 21 so they can be fully developed in mind and body or send them out at 18 before they can fully grasp the world and how it works, give them stress disorders like PTSD, and then let them drink to help them with getting by afterwards.

People, you know what else can protect your lifespan and youth- getting shot!

From what I can tell from your argument, creepyabercrombieandfitch, "we should send them out to war unprepared mentally, maybe they die, but if they survive, we bring them back with mental health issues, they try to drink to get away from their issues, (and don't argue early alcoholism. if someone is going to become an alcoholic, it's going to happen whether they start drinking at 18 or 38) then they get arrested for underage drinking, then they are in jail or prison." Yeah, thanks for your service...but fuck you, you aren't special. Here's some jail time.

As a service member, I believe you just fully described exactly what happens to us

It's not our fault people start to drink.

I think U.S. has similar laws, depending on where you live.

Im not sure about it in the US

"45 states have set their own exceptions to allow underage consumption of alcohol under certain circumstances." Also, the following quote applies to 29 different states: "Underage consumption of alcohol in some states is allowed on private, non alcohol-selling premises as long as the under age person has the consent and/or is accompanied by the physical presence of a parent or legal guardian. Private, non alcohol-selling premises include residential homes, private properties not open to the general public, etc. In some states underage consumption of alcohol is also allowed on private, non alcohol-selling premises when the under age person is accompanied by a spouse who is at least 21. Each state sets its own specific requirements for what is considered legal." http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591