Teens who drink don’t realize that weekend drinking is more dangerous than what it’s worth. Dawn Fuller writes an article about binge drinking; although the source does not provide any tables or graphs, the hard evidence is very convincing because the numbers are so shockingly high. She explains “… that binge-drinking--consuming four or more drinks in one incident…--was linked … to the section of the brain related to …paying attention, planning and making decisions, processing emotions and controlling impulses leading to irrational behavior” (Fuller par.2). Brain damage that is elective is just plain stupid. This is exactly what happens when people binge-drink. It is even worse for those whose brain is not fully developed. Sitting at a bar, ordering drinks and getting drunk, all with the aid of a fake id, is equivalent to turning off the light switch to total darkness at any given moment on purpose. Why anyone would want to function without a brain makes no sense.…
Drinking alcohol for adolescents creates a vicious circle: first there is momentary denial of problems, then worries seem to disappear, and finally more alcohol is needed.…
In society, more young people are drinking in excess that is severely dangerous. The effects of a young adult drinking underage are that it can lead to diseases that are severe and chronic to the body such as kidney failure, liver failure, alcohol poisoning and even death. These health problems could could have long term chronic illnesses and damage with expensive treatments such as surgery and medication. Raising the age limit prevents less young people to have health problems that are influenced by alcohol. According to the National Institute On Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIH), “In this and similar studies (21,22), memory problems were most common among adolescents in treatment who had experienced alcohol.”(NIH). In this quote, the studies have shown that young people who drink in excess have difficulties in their brain. Part of their brain is damaged that controls their memory. Their memory loss can be permanent or temporary. This health issue of memory loss and forgetfulness can be very serious. If the drinking age limit is twenty one, then more young people will have less severe consequences in health issues such as brain damage in memory…
Overall, any benefit or joy alcohol can bring is minimal compared to the greater harms alcohol causes. Although alcohol is harmful to everyone, alcohol harms adolescents much more than older adults. One's brain does not complete development until the age of 25. This time marks a critical period for neurodevelopment. The mind has not fully formed its critical and rational thinking abilities. [1] Studies show that alcohol is deterrent to the process [2] Not only does alcohol consumption affect the brain, it also affects female maturation and reproduction abilities during adolescents [3]. Not only that, but because of an adolescents inability to rationally think or make good judgments, they are more likely to binge drink or engage in heavy alcohol consumption than any other group[4], an action that has obvious negative health effects include liver and brain problems. Many suicides, homicides, motor vehicle accidents and accidental falls are alcohol related [5]. Homicide suicide and accidents are the three leading causes of death among teens. [6] It is unnecessary that alcohol causes the deaths and harmful effects of hundreds of thousands of…
Underage drinking can cause multiple issues with the body's and brain's development. The brain plays a very important role in everyday life. This causes issues since the brain is not fully developed until a person reaches their early twenties ("Teen Brain."). The brain provides basic functions like picking up a pencil or even telling the body what to do. Alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization ("Drinking Age ProCon.org."). Also, alcohol consumption interferes with this early adult brain development, the potential for chronic problems such as greater…
A propers brain development had been put at risk by over consuming alcohol beverages. Mental issues like depression and anxiety may exacerbate when alcohol is being consumed. Also, alcohol abuse ofter creates mental frustrations. In fact,” the National Comorbidity Survey found in 1997 that alcoholics were two to three times more likely than non-alcoholics to also have an anxiety disorder. Another study, NIAAA’s National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, found that those with a history of alcohol dependence (even former drinkers), had a more than fourfold-increased risk for a major depressive episode than those without a history of alcohol dependence” (1) . Although frequent teenage alcohol abuse may cause a drastic body changes. The loss or even gain weigh are may be very severe, which also may lead the abuser to feel depressed,anxious or even suicidal. In fact, Alcohol is involved over a quarter of all suicides in the US (approximately 7500 per year).…
3. Alcohol damages the brains judgment, speed, and memory retention; effects that can become permanent in drinkers with undeveloped brains.…
For example, The brain damage sustained when a nine year old drinks alcohol regularly is indisputable and causes irreparable damage. The age is very particular, and the drinking age should not be too low or the brain damage could harm future generations. From around 16 or 17 years old and younger, both the cognitive restraint and physical brain are not developed enough to allow for proper judgment when it comes to when or when not to drink. Furthermore, the views on brain damage are true when it comes to excessive drinking everyday, which leads to alcoholism. Studies show that young teenagers and children are much more susceptible to alcoholism than young adults. Lastly, the fact that restraint is not a trait many young teenagers are known for is true. Thirteen and fourteen year olds cannot be trusted to drink responsibly, and the argument can be made that even 17 year olds can be irresponsible when it come to their…
Students attend college to learn, however, the mental capacity and the ability to learn is inhibited with excessive drinking. High doses of alcohol damage the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex areas of the brain which are still developing in college-aged students. The hippocampus is the area of the brain used for learning and memory. In one study, "Dr. Michael De Bellis at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center used magnetic resonance imaging to compare the brains of 14-21-year-olds who abused alcohol to the brains of those who did not. The longer a person had had a drining problem, the smaller his hippocampus - by about ten percent." For decades scientists believed that the number of new nerve cells in the brain are generated in adulthood. The stdies show that high doses of alcohol lead to disruption in the growth of new brain cells.…
a. Alcohol consumption can interfere with development of the young adult brain's frontal lobes, essential for functions such as emotional regulation, planning, and organization. When alcohol consumption interferes with this early adult brain development, the potential for chronic problems such as greater vulnerability to addiction, dangerous risk-taking behavior, reduced decision-making ability, memory loss, depression, violence, and suicide is greater.…
The controversial topic of lowering the drinking age has been present since they raised the minimum drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one in the summer of 1984. Today, we see that drinking is more than just an occasional weekend activity for young adults. Whether it be a young adult or a middle-aged individual, the consumption of alcohol is a popular coping mechanism for any misfortune one may endure. The only difference being that young adults are more susceptible to addiction. Another issue that must be addressed when discussing lowering the drinking age is that the human brain isn’t finished developing until the age of twenty-five, as a result eighteen year olds risk altering this development by drinking alcohol.…
From an article written by Jen Christensen called “Sciences Limit When It Comes to the Drinking Age.” It says: “Scientists say the teenage years are one of the most important times for brain development, next to infancy. Neurons in the brain are growing and strengthening, connections are developing to allow the brain to transmit information faster and allow the brain to process more complex thoughts, and the brain goes through a kind of pruning process to eliminate synapses that are infrequently used.” (Christensen). Lowering the drinking age could ruin the important brain development that happens during the teen years. Damaging the brain with alcohol can have its effect on the mental well being of the teen who is drinking and can damage the teen’s most important part of the brain that developed the most at this time, which is the prefrontal cortex which helps develop judgement which could leave long term effects for the person drinking. The issue of teenage drinking and its effect of the developing brain is also stated in the article “Teen Drinking May Cause Irreversible Brain Damage.” By Michelle Trudeau a neuroscientist who studied the effects of alcohol on the teenage brain writes: “Researchers believe this damage negatively affects attention span in boys, and girls' ability to comprehend and interpret visual…
Alcohol use affects an adolescent’s brain differently than it does an adult. A teenager’s brain is in different developmental stages and their body reacts differently to alcohol. Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults, but have trouble knowing when to stop (MADD). There are too many harmful effects of alcohol for it to be consumed by young people. Teenagers who drink will suffer blackouts, memory loss, alcohol poisoning from drinking (add a couple more health affects)! Teen brains are designed for maximum learning capacity and alcohol interferes greatly. Alcohol use before the full formation of the brain causes a decreased ability in memory, attention, and learning, all of which affect academic performance. Allowing teens to drink alcohol can result in academic failure because drinking leads to difficulty concentrating and memory dysfunction. Allowing adolescents to drink during these important developmental years will cause, long term, irreversible damage to the…
Research has shown that compared with the adult brain, the adolescent brain is very sensitive to some effects of alcohol. Teenage brains are like a sponge, and are designed for maximum learning capacity. Alcohol interferes with the brain, it causes difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, and impaired memory. Those are only the external impairments. Internally, it can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, moving skills and coordination. Not only can alcohol hurt adolescents physically, but psychologically as well. An article from Psychology Today states, "The CDC study confirms that teens aren't sipping alcohol --- no, they’re gulping it. This study brings light to the fact that high school students tend to binge drink whenever they consume alcohol. About ninety percent of the alcohol consumed by high school students is consumed through…
When thinking about the drinking age it can be a very scary topic. In some countries the drinking age can be as low as 16. Countries like Germany, Italy, Switzerland have the drinking age at sixteen.I believe that can cause a lot of problems in society because I believe a sixteen year old is still a child and isn't ready for the consensus that comes with it.That been said a lot of 16 year olds are still under their parents roof. What makes you think they can consume alcohol? They are not mature enough and wise enough to handle the negative consequences of drinking. Anyway the reason I choose this topic for my final paper is because I want to understand what the perfect drinking age according to researchers is. I think this is important because…