Underage Drinking
Lyndsey M. Pickens
11 November 2013
Underage Drinking Underage drinking is very common among high school students, whether it be to “fit in” with their friends or to try something new. There are many reasons people drink when they are underage, but they may not know all the risks or consequences that follow. Some of the major things that can come from teen drinking are alcohol related deaths, illnesses, and diseases, and bad choices made while under the influence. There are also many effects of the underage consumption of alcohol, including peer pressure, drunk driving, jail time, and the odds of becoming an alcoholic. While there are numerous sicknesses that can come from the consumption of alcohol, twelve of them stand out over the rest: anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, dementia, depression, seizures, gout, high blood pressure, infectious disease, nerve damage, and pancreatitis. Anemia is when the body’s red blood cell count is lower than normal. Places in the body where cancer can occur is the mouth, throat, liver, breast, etc. Cardiovascular disease can come from it when blood clots occur and cause heart attacks or strokes. Cirrhosis occurs when alcohol (which is toxic to liver cells) damages the liver to the point that it does not function properly. Dementia is when the shrinkage of our brain increases more than normal and creates memory loss. Sometimes when people are depressed, they turn to alcohol to “help” them forget whatever is going on, even if only for a short amount of time. An unruly amount of alcohol can trigger seizures in people even if they don not have epilepsy. Gout is a “painful condition of the joints.” Over a period of time, binge drinking can cause chronic high blood pressure. Drinking can also be a gateway to life threatening diseases such as tuberculosis because it shuts down the immune system. Alcohol can cause a kind of nerve damage called neuropathy. Alcohol consumption can also cause the pancreas to become
11 November 2013
Underage Drinking Underage drinking is very common among high school students, whether it be to “fit in” with their friends or to try something new. There are many reasons people drink when they are underage, but they may not know all the risks or consequences that follow. Some of the major things that can come from teen drinking are alcohol related deaths, illnesses, and diseases, and bad choices made while under the influence. There are also many effects of the underage consumption of alcohol, including peer pressure, drunk driving, jail time, and the odds of becoming an alcoholic. While there are numerous sicknesses that can come from the consumption of alcohol, twelve of them stand out over the rest: anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, dementia, depression, seizures, gout, high blood pressure, infectious disease, nerve damage, and pancreatitis. Anemia is when the body’s red blood cell count is lower than normal. Places in the body where cancer can occur is the mouth, throat, liver, breast, etc. Cardiovascular disease can come from it when blood clots occur and cause heart attacks or strokes. Cirrhosis occurs when alcohol (which is toxic to liver cells) damages the liver to the point that it does not function properly. Dementia is when the shrinkage of our brain increases more than normal and creates memory loss. Sometimes when people are depressed, they turn to alcohol to “help” them forget whatever is going on, even if only for a short amount of time. An unruly amount of alcohol can trigger seizures in people even if they don not have epilepsy. Gout is a “painful condition of the joints.” Over a period of time, binge drinking can cause chronic high blood pressure. Drinking can also be a gateway to life threatening diseases such as tuberculosis because it shuts down the immune system. Alcohol can cause a kind of nerve damage called neuropathy. Alcohol consumption can also cause the pancreas to become