Ten Under Age Drinking Consequences That Every Teen Should Know

If you are a teenager reading this, you had better get this straight… contrary to what your friends say, drinking alcohol is not cool. The reason why you are prohibited from buying alcohol is that your body, your mind, and your will are not yet mature and strong enough to deal with the effects of alcohol use. And we are not just talking about bad breath, bad skin, and stinky vomit. If, for whatever reason, you drank alcohol in the past, like about 70% in your age group, you might be forgiven for giving in to peer pressure or curiosity. However, if you are into binge drinking, you should know these under age drinking consequences before it’s too late.[i]

1. Too much alcohol damages your young brain

Even among adults, alcohol in large doses is neurotoxic (that’s poison to the brain for you) and regular, high levels of consumption causes damage to the brain cells. There is enough evidence to suggest adolescent brains are particularly vulnerable to this. American research has found that adolescent drinkers’ hippocampi – that part of the brain that deals with memory and learning – are 10% smaller than those of the non-drinkers. Also, underage drinking leads to attention disorders and difficulties in concentrating.

2. Too much alcohol lowers your blood sugar

This is a condition called severe hypoglycemia – an alarming drop in your blood sugar that often accompanies alcohol intoxication. This may result in coma. Studies have shown that this affects more adolescent drinkers than adults.  These studies are still inconclusive but deaths from alcohol poisoning appear to occur most often when young drinkers consume large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.

3. Too much alcohol increases risks of cardiovascular complications

Maybe you have read somewhere that alcohol is good for the heart when used in moderation? That applies adults, and more particularly to the middle aged and the elderly.  It applies neither to underage drinkers nor does it ever apply when binge drinking. On the contrary, studies have found that 30-60% of all cases of atrial fibrillation, with other causes excluded, are due to alcohol particularly in younger men. Almost 25% of sudden cardiac arrests resulting to fatality in young men are directly linked to alcohol.

4. Too much alcohol exacerbates school problems

You think alcohol solves your school problems? Not really. Underage drinkers are likely to have more school problems (academic or disciplinary) than those who are not drinkers. Since alcohol restrictions are heavily penalized in most schools, drinking may result to suspension from scholarship programs, athletic and sports clubs, and other extra-curricular activities. [ii]

5. Too much alcohol when mixed with driving increases the risk of vehicular accidents

Among teenagers of both genders, binge drinking results in higher incidents of vehicular accidents, sometimes fatal. Studies show that at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8g/l doubles the risk of road accidents.

6. Too much alcohol upsets the critical hormonal balance.

Oh yeah, and this includes sexual organs. “Drinking alcohol during puberty may upset the critical hormonal balance needed for normal development of organs, muscles, bones, and the reproductive system.” This is a statement from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, Alcohol Alert, 2006. Perhaps this is one of the many consequences of under age drinking that matters the most, if you plan on having a sex life that is!.[iii]

7. Too much alcohol may give you time in juvenile court

The legal consequences of under age drinking may vary in different states. In most states, it is illegal to have “ANY alcohol in your body if you’re under the age of 21.” It’s a class 3 misdemeanor if you are under age 21 and “solicit another person to purchase, sell, give, serve or furnish you with alcohol.”[iv]

8. Too much alcohol increases the risks of alcohol addiction

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that those who start drinking as young teens are “four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than are people who wait until they’re adults to drink.”

9. Too much alcohol among girls increases risk of breast cancer

There is a direct link between increased risk in breast cancer and increase in alcohol consumption. Young female drinkers are most susceptible; the risk is estimated to increase to 40%.

10. Too much alcohol can be fatal

Yes, those bottles of beer can be deadly, and not just when they hit you in the head. Road accidents, drownings, suicides, murders, heart attack – all of these have direct links to binge drinking, especially among teenagers.

All these under age drinking consequences should discourage from succumbing to peer pressure. Wait until you reach the right age before enjoying the benefits of alcohol, at the right time, in the right amounts.