Some parents overlook alcohol's damaging effects on teens because it's a legal drug.
Genetics, boredom, parental apathy and the thrill of risk-taking all contribute to teenage alcohol use and the possibility of alcohol dependence. Although alcohol is technically harmful to everyone in large amounts, teenagers are particularly susceptible to the stress it places on the brain. They are also more likely to engage in the risky behaviors that alcohol encourages by lowering inhibitions.
Brain Development
According to researchers like Dr. Aaron White of the Duke University Medical Center, teenage brains suffer more damage from alcohol than adult brains because they are still developing. Adolescents must consume knowledge rapidly and in large amounts, but alcohol inhibits a teenager's attention, memory and other cognitive abilities. However, teenage brains also heal quickly, so the damage that alcohol inflicts will fade if teens approach alcohol cautiously.
Drunken Driving
Teens who drink expose themselves the dangers associated with drunken driving. According to a Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009, 10 percent of teens admitted to driving drunk within the past 30 days, and 28 percent admitted to riding in a car driven by someone who had been drinking. The risks of drunken driving include injury, death and high financial liability.
Social Problems
Alcohol does not directly cause reckless or inappropriate behavior, but teens who drink display this behavior and suffer its consequences more often than teens who don't drink. For example, teens who drink are more likely to skip school, get into fights, have altercations with police, abuse other drugs and engage in risky or unprotected sexual behavior. In addition, teens who begin drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependency than those who begin closer to the legal age of 21.
Binge Drinking
Teens drink alcohol less often than adults, but they drink greater quantities of alcohol when they do imbibe, and they are more likely to mix different types of alcohol. Scientists define binge drinking as five or more drinks within one session, and 24 percent of teens in the CDC's Risk Survey admitted to binge drinking within the last 30 days. All social and health problems related to alcohol occur more frequently in binge drinkers.
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