What Are the Health Risks?

Drinking alcohol poses several health risks, whether it involves young people or adults. One of the most dangerous effects of long-term alcohol use involves the brain – and the psychological and physiological effects could be lifelong.

Brain Effects

Throughout the teenage years and well into the twenties, the human brain is still developing. It undergoes several changes as the synapses connecting the various neurons become increasingly complex and more efficient at processing and transmitting information.

Drinking alcohol at a young age can interfere with and have deleterious effects on the process of brain development. Alcohol consumption can lead to potential brain damage, particularly on the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in consolidating information from short-term memory, long-term memory and spatial memory. 

Liver Effects

Compared to adults, teenagers have more permeable vascular walls and underdeveloped liver enzyme mechanisms. This is why the liver of an adolescent tends to collapse faster under the influence of alcohol than an adult’s.

Alcohol causes the liver cells to undergo fatty degeneration and leads to dysfunction in the synthesis of various nutrients. The pancreas can also get disrupted in the process, and developing pancreatitis and diabetes becomes a possibility.

Growth and Endocrine Effects

Adolescent drinking can alter hormones in the body, thereby disrupting growth and puberty.

Numerous effects of alcohol-induced hormonal dysregulations on the body include various disorders such as the following:

• Body growth defects
• Bone disease
• Thyroid problems
• Immune dysfunction
• Stress abnormalities
• Reproductive deficits
• Cancers
• Psychological and behavioral disorders

Underage drinkers are more susceptible to alcohol addiction than adults who start drinking later. Habitual teenage drinkers are also at a higher risk for developing depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

What Are the Dangers of Under Aged Drinking?

The legal consequences of underage drinking and driving are severe as young people who drink put their lives and those of others in jeopardy when they become unruly, violent or insist on driving.

Getting drunk leads young people to exhibit risky behavior, which could lead to other problems, such as accidents, alcohol poisoning, unplanned pregnancy, and the disruption of relationships and education.

Binge Drinking

Young people in a hurry to experience the effects of alcohol usually resort to binge drinking. When this happens, the one drinking consumes a large amount of alcohol within a short span of time.

For males, binge drinking involves downing five or more drinks within two hours, and four or more drinks within the same period for females.

Alcohol Poisoning

Alcohol poisoning or alcohol overdose occurs when too much alcohol accumulates in the blood, leading to parts of the brain shutting down. When left unattended for too long, alcohol poisoning can be fatal and cause brain damage or death.

Life-Changing Injury or Death

While it’s safe to assume that majority of people are aware of underage drinking, the laws forbidding it and the legal consequences of committing such, knowing about these things hasn’t stopped underage drinkers from breaking the law.

Alcohol intake is generally harmful and even more so for young people. However, it is underage drinkers who drive that pose a great risk to themselves and others on the road.

In fact, according to the CDC, young drivers are 17 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% compared to when they have absolutely no alcohol in their system.