Underage Drink?

          

Written by Bret K.

                Do you drink under age? If yes, you should stop. I know some people that drank under age and they decided to drive.  This caused them to get into a serious car accident. They ended up getting a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). There are also many affects that consuming alcohol has on an under developed brain.

            Many bad things can happen to you if you drink under age. While the brain is still developing alcohol can have lasting affects. When alcohol is consumed the brain’s central nervous system is affected and makes you think, speak, and move at a slower rate than normal. Alcohol consumption at young ages may interrupt key processes of brain development. A study performed by Brown and colleagues shows that alcohol dependent 15 and 16 year olds have greater difficulty remembering words and geometric shapes after a tem minute interval than teens without the dependency. The cerebral cortex is also slowed down by the consumption of alcohol. The frontal lobes of the brain are important for forming ideas, making decisions, and using self control. Alcohol consumption can permanently damage the frontal lobes of the brain. The part of the brain that forms memories is called the hippocampus, it is shown that in alcohol dependant teens the hippocampus is smaller than in normal teens that do not consume alcoholic beverages. The part of the brain that controls automatic actions, like your heartbeat and breathing, is called the medulla. This portion of the brain can be seriously affected by the consumption of alcohol, possibly leading to hypothermia (dangerous low body temperature) in the right conditions. The last thing I want to talk about is the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus of the brain controls blood pressure, hunger, heart rate, temperature, and thirst. When alcohol is consumed, blood pressure, hunger, urination, and thirst are increased. While the body’s heart rate and temperature is decreased.

            Under age drinking can pose a very dangerous situation for anybody involved. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of sexual assault such as rape.  Teens that involve themselves with under age drinking are much more likely to have unprotected sex with multiple partners. This can lead to unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS.

            Teen suicide has been increasing due to under age alcoholism. Due to alcohol affecting the brain in the ways listed above, teens are facing greater levels of depression and anxiety. There is an alarming rate of 37% of females in the 8^th grade who drink heavily reporting attempts of suicide. Alcohol related suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 14-25.

            Early drinking and alcohol abuse may be linked to personality characteristics. Persons who are more likely to become dependant on alcohol tend to seek out new experiences and sensations. They also have strong tendencies to act impulsively before alcohol consumption. Environmental factors are also prevalent to early alcoholism. Having alcoholism in the family to begin with is a major factor in adolescent alcoholism. There is easier access to alcohol, greater acceptance of alcohol use, and a lack of parental monitoring.

            There are many long lasting affects of early alcohol consumption. Teens that began drinking prior to age 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependant than others who wait until the legal age. Once an alcoholic pattern has begun, social factors such as peer pressure play a large role in relapse for teens.

            For those of you that drink under age you should think about all of the negatives that can happen before you take your next drink. You can still attend parties, but you don’t have to drink to have fun.