MikeT,
Glad you asked. While I realize that my reason is quite argumentitive, it is simply maturity, particulary in regards to our sex (male). I don't know your age, I'm 54. The older I get the more time I realized I had when I was younger. I didn't need to be spending it in a bar. I am fairly liberal and I don't force my ways on anyone. I raised two sons and I allowed them to drink in my presence, not their friends and not away from the house. As a result I ended up with two sons who are responsible adults with families. They never spent time in bars and still don't.
I don't think 18 year olds make good decisions typically without help from adults. You put them in adult situations without guidance and get them looped and they'll get hurt or hurt someone else.
Drinking is for mature adults. 21 may not be that number for some people either, but it's better than 18. Remember, I was 18. too.

I have a real problem with this one - it doesn't take the novelty out of drinking - it makes them into hardened drinkers. Imagine the damage to a child's liver if it is allowed a steady flow of booze from a young age. By the time it is an adult it's liver will be pickled. My observation of these sort of people is that by the time the kids can drink legally, they are so used to it that it takes more to make them drunk and sick so they are a danger on the roads. I didn't let mine drink at all. We had seen alcohol abuse in people close to us. When they turned 16 I said that if they wanted to they could have an occasional beer or cider at home only and celebratory champagne, without exception they turned me down - I have since found out that they sampled every liqueur we had in the house already to see which ones were the least distasteful and concluded that they all tasted like rubbish.
Then at 18 I made a big show of the fact that they could drink legally and still no takers. Now as older people two of them don't drink at all. The other two are moderate drinkers and responsible drinkers, except the eldest who can get a bit silly at parties, but then he won't drive and it doesn't take much for him to fall asleep. What I hate though is that none of the men in my family ever get hangovers but I do, I hate that, if I party I have to sleep through the next day, always been that way, so I never have more than an occasional glass of wine (or a beer with steak).

So, to you, age is consistent with the maturity of that person? I'm not sure I agree with this (if it is indeed your stance). I've met some pretty irresponsible and immature 30 year olds, and some 17 year olds that blew me away with how responsible they were for their age. I don't think this is a 'One Size Fits All' type of situation.

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"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."
Isaac Asimov

Liver damage doesn't happen after the first drink, even in minors (unless they are very young, like under 6). It is that their livers cannot process large amounts of alcohol (2 or more drinks at once) until they get into their early 20's (then they can do around 4 drinks at a time before damage starts to accure). My parents took the same approach with my, taking the mystery out of alcohol, I'd have about 1/2 a glass of wine with my parents about twice a week since I was 15. Tried beer once at 15 (didn't like it) and had my first try of strait hard liquor at 18 (one shot of 80 proof whiskey).

Many people have the problem of doing heavy drinking under age (damaging thier liver that won't show until later in life) and then on their 21st birthday, they go out with all their friends on the 21 run. At the University of Washington, the number of students that die from alcohol poisoning is second only to car crash deaths, and 1/3 of the Alcohol poison deaths accured on the 21 run.

We have to do more than just try to scare kids out of drinking.

emptypepsi,
No, not equating age and maturity per se, but not wishing to compound the problem. Obviously, youth and immaturity go together frequently.

That is true, just because someone is old doesn't make them mature and just because some is young doesn't make them immature, but there are a higher percentage of mature adults than kids, and there is a larger percentage of immature kids than adults.

poor santa...

unbelievable b/c:

a. you seem like a huge pot smoker
b. you are prone 10x more to becoming an alcoholic then someone who has had drinks in a healthy manner and is the same age.
c. you honestly think everyone in the army is a drunk. you think the boys out in iraq are sippin on a nice coke and rum everyday? if so, maybe you should sign up. YOU ARE OF AGE

So are you dude, all you need is your parents permission

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having not graduated high school yet, i wouldn't consider it.