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Should the drinking age be lowered? It's hard to say.
At the age of 20 I was living in a country where I was taking wine tasting classes so I could learn the subtle differences between different wines. I was not out getting sloshed, just learning how to pick a wine from a wine list that goes with my meal. Irresponsible behavior? I don't think so but none the less, it is behavior that is illegal in America.
On the other hand, my freshman year roomate had a serious alcohal problem. When she was sober (which was rare) she suffered from horrible mood swings and was always cranky. For her, alcohal was the "forbidden fruit" and once she got her hands on it, she was addicted.
I guess my point is that 21 is not a magic number that determines that you are ready for alcohal. All people mature differently, some people can handle alcohal at a younger age, other people should probably wait until they are 21, and other people will probably never be able to drink responsibly.
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