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Impacts of Alcohol
On Your Teen
Many
parents don't realize that alcohol impacts
teenagers differently than adults. In fact,
alcohol significantly alters the brain
development of growing teens. Alcohol interferes
with memory formation and impairs the
sensitivity of the brain to critical chemical
functions in adolescence more so than it does in
adults. By delaying drinking until age 21, your
child also reduces the risk of developing a
serious alcohol-related problem by 70%. For
every year that adolescents delay using alcohol,
they decrease the odds of lifelong dependence by
15% and alcohol abuse by 8%2. Delaying your
child's use of alcohol greatly improves his
chances of leading a healthier, happier life now
and in the future.
Physical effects:
Alcohol can harm many organs in your teen's
body; the most striking is the brain chemistry
of adolescents. With as little as one drink,
alcohol impairs normal brain chemical function
in adolescents significantly more than adults.
Alcohol
dependence: Kids who drink before age 15 are
four times more likely to develop alcohol
dependence than those who begin drinking at age
21. Research has shown that 40% of kids who
begin drinking before age 15 develop alcohol
abuse or dependence at some point in their
lives; that proportion drops to below 10% for
those who begin drinking after age 21.
Unintentional
death or injury: Alcohol plays a major role
in teenage injuries and fatalities.
Alcohol-related traffic crashes are the leading
cause of death and disability among teenagers.
Alcohol is also a major factor in other leading
causes of death and injury to teens in the U.S.
including homicide, suicide, burns, drowning and
falls.
Emotional and
psychological effects: Alcohol impairs
judgment. Alcohol has been linked strongly to
teenage depression and suicide.
Risky business of
underage drinking: There are several social
and health consequences which make underage
drinking a serious health problem. Underage
drinking contributes to risky sexual behavior
and unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted
diseases, academic failure, dropping out of
school, criminal behavior, and becoming a victim
of crime.
Underage drinking costs the Copper Country
10.6 million per year in loss of life, pain and
suffering, medical costs and work loss. |
