Teenagers and Alcohol, Part 2

Why you should not drink alcohol (The dangerous effects of alcohol)

Memory impairment. Your brain is still developing and it continues to develop up to your twenties. Teenagers who don’t drink alcohol have sharper memory compared to those who take alcohol. With alcohol, your brain can become smaller in certain parts.

Poor concentration. Teenagers who are into alcohol have higher risks of focusing on schoolwork and activities. If you’re in your teens and are into alcohol, you have a higher risk of dropping out from school.

Poor decision-making. The influence of alcohol impairs not only your concentration, balance, and reflexes. It affects the pre-frontal cortex of the brain or the brain’s manager (part of the brain that manages your actions as a person), thus increasing your animal behaviors leading to poor decision-making.

Rape, sexual assault, unwanted pregnancy, robbery. Alcohol puts you in higher risk of being rape, engaging in casual sex that might result to unwanted pregnancy, physical fight and brawl, of being a victim of sexual assault, and being robbed.

Imprisonment or incarceration. Many teenagers commit crimes because they are under the influence of alcohol. Many conspiracies to commit a crime or infraction are agreed upon by teenagers who are under the influence of alcohol. Drunk driving is now punishable by imprisonment.

Drugs and other dangerous substances. The use of alcohol, most especially with peer pressure, exposes you to the possibility of using marijuana, methamphetamine (shabu), cocaine, heroin, and designer drugs. Alcohol increases the possibility of not only alcoholism but also poly-substance abuse disorder.

Anxiety, depression, suicide. Alcohol is not a solution to a problem. It can mask problems in the family, school, friends, gender identity, and including boy-girl relationship. Alcohol complicates and compounds a problem by masking it. Too much alcohol amidst a problem can result to depression and even self-harm. Alcohol intoxication is a form of attempted suicide.

Symptoms of alcoholism

Alcoholism is a substance-use (abuse) disorder. It is therefore a clinical diagnosis. Symptoms include: craving for alcohol, prolonged use of alcohol, withdrawal symptoms, and family issues and school issues in teenagers. Teenagers with alcoholism also have issues pertaining to social mores, rules and laws.

Treatment

Alcoholism treatment depends on the stage of the addiction, ranging from management of risk factors and education to intensive residential treatment followed by long-term outpatient care and support.