Underage Drinking

Children and Alcohol: A Dangerous Combination.

Whether you agree with the legal drinking age or not, no one is allowed to drink alcohol until they reach 21. What you may not realize, is there are really good reasons the legal drinking age is 21. In just the past few decades, we’ve learned much more about alcohol and the negative affects on young brains and bodies. At the same time, underage drinking is on the rise.

Alcohol is the most frequently used of all intoxicating substances. It’s also usually the first drug that young people experiment with. Alcohol use preceeds the use of marijuana or other hard drugs by an average of 14 months. Since young people tend to try it first, it’s really important to understand what the dangers really are.

During adolescence, the brain goes through dynamic change. Alcohol consumption can seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes. Frontal lobe development and the refinement of pathways and connections continue until age 16, and a high rate of energy is used as the brain matures until age 20. Damage from alcohol at this time can be long-term and irreversible. In addition, short-term or moderate drinking impairs learning and memory far more in youth than adults. Adolescents only need to drink half as much to suffer the same negative effects.*

  • Adolescents who drink alcohol scored worse than non-users on vocabulary, general information, memory, memory retrieval and at least three other tests.
  • Verbal and nonverbal information recall was most heavily affected, with a 10% performance decrease in alcohol users.
  • Studies show significant neuropsychological deficits exist in 15-16 year-olds with histories of extensive alcohol use.
  • Adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.
  • Alcohol also affects the sleep cycle, resulting in impaired learning and memory, as well as disrupted release of hormones necessary for growth and maturation.
  • Alcohol use increases risk of stroke among young drinkers.
  • Research shows that youth who drink can have a significant reduction in learning and memory.**
  • Teens who use alcohol are more likely to become sexually active at an early age, have sexual intercourse more often, and have more unprotected sex than teens that do not drink.
  • Alcohol consumption affects motor coordination, including the ability to walk, drive and process information.
  • Drinking lowers inhibitions and increases the chances that a person will do something they will regret when sober.
  • Research shows that youth who drink can have a significant reduction in learning and memory. **

Get the facts, the tools, and the advice you need to start talking real.
Visit UnderageDrinking.SAMHSA.gov.

UnderageDrinking.SAMHSA.gov is a public education website developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in support of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to communicate to parents about how they can help reduce their child’s risk of becoming involved with alcohol.

 

* Johnson, et. Al., 2006 Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use.
** AMA Report, Harmful Consequences of Alcohol Use on the Brains of Children, Adolescents, and College Students