How Underage Alcohol Consumption Affects Teens
Alcohol is a substance that can impair the brain and the way it works at any stage of a person’s life. However, it can be extra detrimental to the brain of a teenager since it is still not fully developed and can ultimately impair the way it will grow.
How can Alcohol Affect the Way a Teen’s Brain Works?
Alcohol has both long term and short term effects on teenagers. Alcohol impairs teens' ability to make good decisions and recognize they are making bad ones, which can lead to unhealthy habits rooted in bad judgement clouded by alcohol, including harming themselves and the people around them. Alcoholic addiction in teens is a common problem, sprouting from a reason that every teenager can attest to: stress. However, there are other reasons that push teens to drink alcohol, including peer pressure, low self-esteem, and self medication for mental issues. A national survey on drug usage and health states that 56.7% of teens were reported to be drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. That’s 185,714,229 people! As detrimental as the impact of alcohol is on the brain, it is far from the only impact it has, as seen in the diagram below.
How can Alcohol Affect the Way the Teen Brain Develops?
There are many long term effects from alcohol in teens, and the consumption of even marginal amounts of alcohol has been shown to be extremely detrimental to their brain’s health and future development. Studies say that teens who start drinking alcohol at or before the age of 15 are more prone to grow up and develop a dependence on alcohol. Notably, premature alcohol consumption may lead to long term learning difficulties, memory problems, and brain damage later on in life, which opens a plethora of future issues. If consumed often, alcohol will begin to slow down brain activity making its effects last longer. It also hinders their development of good judgment and can affect their future judgment when drinking alcohol by trapping teens in a constant cycle of addiction. More importantly, alcohol addiction can also lead to emotional problems in the future, as a heavy dependence on alcohol can lead to its abuse, and many view it as a first resort to issues such as stress and anxiety. In fact, teenage consumption of alcohol can actually increase the risks of developing anxiety and stress along with depression, and ultimately can even slow down the development of the brain, or halt its development altogether. So the next time you feel even the slightest temptation to sneak a sip of your mom’s wine, put down the glass and pick up a book instead. Trust us, it’s better for your brain!
Written by: Ariya