Alcohol’s Effects on Teenagers

The number of teenagers who are into “alcohol” nowadays is increasingly alarming. The physiological effects, as well as, the physical and behavioral consequences are equally disturbing as well.

“Permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder” are some of the physiological effects on teenagers who drink alcohol (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). On the other hand, the physical and behavioral consequences include the following: “in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and hurting oneself & other individuals” (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

Physiological Effects

Teenagers who are into too much drinking may experience “permanent brain damage” (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). This claim is backed up by an expert named “Dr. John Nelson”, a member of the American Medical Association (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).

Moreover, according to the “National Health and Nutrition Survey” girls who drink experience depression “four times more likely than those who do not engage in drinking” (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).

Furthermore, teenagers who drink also suffer from low grades; in fact, according to the “American Medical Association”, those who drink get lower scores on “vocabulary, visual-spatial, as well as, memory tests” as compared with those who do not engage in drinking (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).

In addition to that, some teenagers who drink develop “psychological distress”, as well as, “serious behavioral problems”; this is according to the statistical information gathered by the “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration” (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).

Last but not least, a study conducted by the “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration” confirms that teenagers who are regularly drinking may develop “attention-deficit disorder” (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.).

Physical and Behavioral Effects

Teenagers who engage themselves in alcohol drinking may also suffer from the following physical and behavioral effects:

First of all, teenagers may develop problems accepting unfortunate occurrences in their lives (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). They may turn “in-denial” and make use of alcohol as a “defense mechanism” every time he or she is reminded of the truth especially in cases where he or she gets offended (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

Second, some teenagers may feel pity for themselves while some tend to get excessively angry which may actually result in severe drinking (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

Third, some teenagers drinking severely may experience troubles accepting their faults (Garrett, 2002, n.p.). Thus eventually, they blame somebody else for the untoward incidents that occurred to them (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

Finally, some teenagers who drink too much may experience hurting other people or even oneself (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

Summary / Conclusion

Indeed, teenagers who engage themselves in drinking alcohol are faced with dangers including physiological and behavioral/physical ones (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). “Physiological effects” include the following: “permanent brain damage, depression, poor school performance, psychological distress / serious behavioral problems, and attention deficit disorder” (The Marin Institute, n.d., n.p.). Meanwhile, physical ones include: “in-denial, self-pity, excessive anger, blaming others, and  hurting oneself & other individuals” (Garrett, 2002, n.p.).

References

Garrett, F.P. (2002). Excuses Alcoholics Make. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from

http://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/Excuses_Alcoholics.html

The Marin Institute. (n.d.). Physiological Effects of Alcohol on Teenagers.

Retrieved April 1, 2009 from

http://www.marininstitute.org/Youth/teen_alcohol_use.htm