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This is a touchy issue. Let me make it clear that alcohol can be a dangerous substance if used improperly. Also, let me make it double clear that the government made the drinking age 21 (in the United States), and no matter what opinion you may hear in this thread, it is strongly recommended that you follow this government law until it is changed.

Now with that out of the way, lets begin.

Personally, I'm a teetotaler, which means I do not drink and will never drink. I've made this decision because I keep seeing awful things related to alcohol. Some of my friends are alcoholics, their family life is a wreck from alcoholism, and I knew someone who nearly killed himself driving drunk. With all these memories, I can't bring myself to drink. I think people should be allowed to drink, but I encourage them to do it responsibly because it is the most sociable beverage.

Then there's the second part; drinking age. I think the federal government should stop with this "age 21" rule and bump it down to 18. Contrary to what many people believe, this law is actually a federal mandate. Back in the 80's, some people cried for an increase of the drinking age. The Federal government then passed a mandate. Every state was told to increase their drinking age to 21 or else the state wouldn't get funding to maintain their roads. The states were allowed to reject it, but naturally, all the states submitted to this because they needed that funding. If it weren't for the Federal government making the states' roads hostages, I guess that that less than half of the states would make the drinking age 21, if any at all. But just remember, even though this is a federal mandate, the state made this law and will enforce it in compliance to the mandate.

As I look around, this law is unenforceable. I know kids who drink on a regular basis and never get caught. I know a conservative Christian girl who is 17 and her mom gave her some of wine. I know several families who don't care that their children drink. People in their late teens typically have older friends who can buy alcohol for them. Some even go to the extreme measure of fake IDs. Some clerks don't even check ID. This law is unenforceable and is becoming a joke, making the police seem like they're easy to fool.

Is alcohol that bad? Well yeah, if it is abused, like anything else. I find it ironic that an 18-year-old can buy tobacco, which is literally a poison and can cause cancer a 100 different ways, while there are preteens in Italy who can have a glass of wine with family. Also 18-year-olds can vote for politicians who can drink, but they can't. 18-year-olds can die in war, but can't get a drink either. I heard that some military bases ignore that law and let their young soldiers drink.

In a nutshell, this is why it's a dumb law:
1. It's an example of the federal government snooping into states' business. State Rights!
2. Unenforceable. If you can't enforce a law, it makes the population think that the police is easy to fool. That is a dangerous thing to have in government.
3. 18-year-olds can buy tobacco, which is a whole lot more harmful, but they can't buy alcohol which is hardly harmful if used responsibly.
4. Voters should have equal rights as the people they're voting for. For 18-year-olds not allowed to drink, that is unfair.
5. If an 18-year-old can make the ultimate sacrifice for his or her country, why should they be barred from a drink?
6. The drinking age is lower all around the world and doesn't seem to cause issues.

REMINDER: Just because I stated that I don't like the law doesn't mean you should go drink. If you don't like a law, change it, don't break it.

While I agree that the law is stupid and unenforceable, it still prevents major abuse of the product. In Norway, our drinking age is 18, but smoking is slowly becoming more expensive, and the government goal for 2050 is to ban tobacco from Norway completely, thus leaving only alchoholic beverage left.
Maybe this might cause a lot of overconsumption of alchohol, but less cancer and deaths.
Anyway, because our drinking age is 18, the alchoholic products aren't cheap, and many teens go great lengths to aquire alchoholic beverage.
And I think lowering the age for your country/state would be a major mistake, seeing as, as you are saying, there are already misuse of the product. Lowering it further will do nothing, but encourage further abuse.

As for the not drinking policy, I am fifteen years old, so I wouldn't have much experience in drinking (in fact, only times I've been drunk (medications) have been right before a surgery, and it is not a pleasant experience. However, even if I wanted to, I will never -ever- be able to drink.)
This is because of my Asperger's Syndrome, and the pure strength I get when I lose control. If I am drunk, I might explode completely, and go berserk, attacking everything in my way, and possibly harming others.
This is one of the bad sides of drinking (at least for me), and the only thing that makes me able to keep away from this alchohol (also because doctors have forbidden it, but that's a different story).

Anyway, I think the law should be kept as it is, because lowering the limit is encouraging further misuse, rather than preventing it.

EDIT: (Omg! First post in an epic topic!)

The law might be stupid and unenforceable, yet I don't think that's a good reason for lowering the age to, for example, 18 or 16. Because if you can't enforce a drinking age of 21, why would you be able to do so for a drinking age of 18; the enforcement problems remain the same (older friends, fake ID's, clerks and police who just don't care, ...). If you really care about the enforcement issue, you should abolish the drinking age altogether. That's also the reason why I think unenforceable laws should be kept in effect; it would be morally wrong not to have certain unenforceable laws (for example, the age of consent).
That said, some other reasons mentioned are valid: if you're old enough to choose to go and die for the fatherland, I think you're old enough to choose the bottle as well. I don't know about the voting though; it's not because the people I vote for are old enough to get free rides on the mass transit system that I should be given that right as well.
On the tobacco point, I've got some mixed feelings: people who smoke don't tend to run others over like drunks do. And responsible drinkers... up until now, I've met few. Let's not forget: alcohol is a very addictive drug, and that coupled with it's availability and social acceptance makes it far more damaging to society than most of the other stuff out there. But tobacco isn't quite so charming either, so I can't really make up my mind here.
As for the states right: I'd watch my tone if I were you. The term "states' rights" has been used as a code word by defenders of segregation, and it still is to this day. You'd better make clear you don't support those kind of state's rights.

Like Splash, My dad drinks. At night I'm usually afraid to fall asleep because of it.

I've always thought that the drinking age should be lowered back to 18. It used to and didn't cause any problems. No more than there are now. If you can be sent off to war and possibly die, you should be able to legally drink. It also shows that if the drinking age is lower, less teens are likely to drink illegally. Makes since, no? The US is one (if not the only) place where the drinking age is 21. Pretty dumb if you ask me.

I have more to say, but it kinda confuses me in a way. lol. So I'll leave it at this for now I guess.

Let me share which countries share the 21 drinking age law.
1. Egypt
2. some parts in India
3. Oman
4. Pakistan
5. the United Arab Emirates
That's it. Everyone else in the world has younger ages, usually around 18. Only Japan comes close with the age of 20. I find it funny that Americans share the same drinking age with countries with high Muslim populations. Then again, what's funnier is that most of the countries who're majority Muslim have their drinking ages at 18 such as Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Qatar, Indonesia, Bahrain, Eritrea, Algeria, etc. Of course the Muslims don't drink, but other religious minorities within the those nations can. From what I can tell, America is the only majority Christian country with a 21 age drinking law. Yet the stereotype that goes along with American teens is unsupervised parties with underage drinking. European teens don't share that stereotype.

Just a fun fact:
The purchasing age for alcohol on the island of Bali in Indonesia is 12.

personally, i think that the drinking age should be lowered to 19. honestly, there is no feasible way currently to enforce the law. hell, i drink on holidays,like New years, that doesnt mean i think it should be done all the time. and im 16! and why indeed is it that 18 year olds can buy tobacco, which in my opinion is much worse than alchohol, even though the leading cause of death in teenagers in the US is drunk driving accidents. In most states, there is a level at which you can drive, and above that, you can be ticketed for a DWI. in maine i think the limit is 0.08% BAL. so if you drink like, more than a beer, get a ride!

What you're talking about is Drinking to get drunk, not drinking moderately. It's not like one drink is going to attack and mess up your liver or have your family disown you.

Anyway I drink, it's mostly wine but I'm Italian and it's basically a family ritual to drink a glass of wine when cooking Italian food. I also have wine on special occasions.

I can clearly see some people posting here are completely ignorant on the subject and are sharing only what they hear on educational "Alcohol is Evil" videos and pamphlets.

Society should not be teaching children that alcohol is evil. Society should be teaching children how to be responsible. This way, when they do get their hands on alcohol early, they know what not to do.

I'm all for drinking. As long as one is responsible and can control her/himself, drinking is no problem whatsoever. Restricting alcohol is not the answer, and never will be. The problem lies within the people who buy it.
For example, when I get drunk, I still know right from wrong. I know for a fact that I'm in no position to drive or walk around the neighborhood. Instead of making a fool of myself in front of friends or family, I usually play Wii.
Once, I've had a friend think he was okay to drive home while intoxicated. Lucky for me, I only had to tell him no once. Ever since, every time we get drunk together we know exactly our limits and our responsibilities.

As for United States law, there are exceptions to underage alcohol consumption. Some states allow minors to drink under the supervision of parents at their private residence.

Did you know that Louisiana was the last state to bump their drinking age up? When they didn't see their check from the feds, they hesitantly raised the legal age to 21 like the rest of America. As of now, especially in New Orleans, the law is barely enforced. On Bourbon Street, an 18-year-old can buy alcohol, walk around and get drunk, and as long as they don't make any trouble, no questions are asked.

And yet drinking still does not make you strip (it's more or less implied because of what you said). Anyway drinking in responsible amounts does not hurt and will not stop you from going to college.