Underage drinking and the brain

The average age for an American youth to take their first alcoholic drink is 12 years old, making alcohol the most frequent drug used by American adolescents (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). Lets face it, teens these days are drinking more and they are starting at a younger age. However, what most teens are not fully aware of is the effect of their heavy drinking on not only their bodies, but most importantly their minds. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, which means that it is poison to your brain. The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college student, by Donald Zeigler, Claire Wang, and et al, states that binge drinking as well as regular heavily drinking has a strong negative influence on different areas of the brain including the central nervous system, the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. As a result of this, basic cognitive effects such as decision-making or memory are impaired. In addition to describing all the harmful effects of this substance on the brain, this scholarly reviewed article also offers advice in order to help decrease the rate of underage drinking.

The research method for this study was comprised of two main components. The first was a collection of articles that focused on either the epidemiology of alcohol use in adolescents and young adults, the pharmacology of alcohol and the consequences of alcohol consumption on the health of adolescents and young adults (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). The second part was the main statistics for underage drinking came from three nationwide surveys which evaluate adolescent drug use. The three surveys were Monitoring the Future (MTF), Youth Risk and Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). MTF is a National Institute on Drug Abuse assessment of approximately 50,000 adolescent in 8th, 10th and 12th grade annually. The YRBSS surveys approximately 10,000-18,000 adolescents every year. Lastly, the NHSDA interviews adolescent under 18 along with their parents making this survey the only one that is not confidential (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). Now here are some startling facts to consider: The NHSDA reported that about 10 million American youth ages 12-20 used alcohol in the past 30 days. Out of the 10 million youth, 19% of them were binge drinking. In addition, approximately half of all high school students are current drinkers and 60% of those drinkers binge. And last but not least, alcohol plays a role in more than 50% of traumatic brain injuries in adolescent (Zeigler, Wang, and et al).

Alcohol is defined as a nonionized lipid soluble compound that is readily absorbed from the stomach, small intestine, and colon and distributes throughout the total body water (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). Usually it is difficult for foreign substances and drugs to enter the brain because it is shielded by a filter system that only allows water through. However, since water and alcohol have similar molecular structures, alcohol is able to pass through this filter system easily (Linton). When it does pass through and enters the central nervous system (CNS), it acts as a depressant. The CNS, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, maintains everything you do in your daily life. It sends information about your world to the brain via the spinal cord where that information is processed and an appropriate response is sent back via the motor system. A depressant, on the other hand, is a drug that decreases neural activity and slows body functions. When alcohol enters the body and travels into the CNS, it increases the strength of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain while decreasing the strength of glutamate. GABA is classified as an inhibitory neurotransmitter so it helps calm the brain, creates balance and stabilizes mood. Glutamate is classified as an excitatory neurotransmitter so it helps stimulate the brain (What are neurotransmitters). The increase of GABA and the decrease of glutamate in the brain lead to slow reactions, slurred speech and decline of motor skills.

The brain development throughout adolescent years is such a critical time. The hippocampus and the frontal lobe (which controls decision making and judgment) develop at a quicker rate during these critical years rather than during adult years. The frontal lobe is able to develop more and increases the brain’s ability to perform tasks such as planning, abstract thinking, reasoning and integrating information (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). So when the brain is exposed too much alcohol, these parts of the brain become more vulnerable to damage. This helps explain why people who have been drinking exhibit reckless behaviors or make careless judgments that can haunt them for life.

Alcohol also impairs learning and memory. Excessive drinking diminishes the levels of N-methyl-D-aspartae receptors in the brain, which ultimately weakens learning and memory. This helps explain why teens usually don’t remember much the morning after they’ve consumed a lot of alcohol. A majority of the severe alcohol related neurological damage in adolescent is usually in the areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). Many studies have proven that time right hippocampus, which controls memory and navigation, was about 10% smaller in people who drank heavily compared to those who did not drink.

According to the Zeigler article, public policy is one of the most effective methods to reduce underage drinking. An example of this is raising the cost of buying alcohol so that youth are more discouraged to buy alcohol. This will also generate revenues to support programs that address alcohol problems through prevention, treatment, law enforcement and research (Zeigler, Wang, and et al). Other examples include keeping the minimum legal drinking age at 21, getting rid of alcohol services that advertising in public places that target youth, and decreasing the number of alcohol outlets in the community. Another good suggestion that he offers is reducing alcohol promotion. Alcohol advertising undoubtedly influences adolescent decision to drink. Teens view about 1,000-2,000 beer or wine ads per year (Strasburger, Wilson, and Jordan 299-306). These ads portray drinking as a fun, careless and social normative behavior. Therefore we should decrease the advertising and increase the number of social norm campaigns that teach adolescents about the misconceptions of alcohol consumption as well as the effects of drinking (Zeigler, Wang, and et al)

The other effective method is simply educating adolescent as well as their parents about the harmful effects of underage drinking. The more people know the better off they will be. There should be more effort put into educating parents and their children about the short term and long-term effects of alcohol consumption.

In conclusion, The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college student, by Donald Zeigler, Claire Wang, and et al provided us with a lot of eye opening, jaw-breaking information on alcohol. Even though some of the information can be overwhelming, I do hope to leave you with some parting words. First and foremost, adolescents in the United States consume alcohol earlier and in heavy amounts. Studies have proven that heavy drinking has caused damage to different parts of the brain including the hippocampus, frontal lobe and the central nervous system. Ultimately, this causes adolescent to have a hard time remembering things, making good decisions as well as delaying their motor skills. In addition, alcohol also causes adolescent to develop a dependence on alcohol and even abuse it. They drink more to have fun, to forget things or simply to handle their stress. So how can this problem be solved? To be honest, I do not think this problem can be solved in a timely manner. I do believe however that we can do a better job of managing underage drinking but this effort requires a community-wide effort. The government should do a better job of regulating the sales of alcohol especially in public areas where a lot of teens go. They should also do a better job of regulating alcohol advertising and create more programs that teach teens about the drinking. It is also the responsibility of the parents as well as the adolescents to become informed on drinking and the effects it has on their body and mind. In the end of the day, “a young person’s brain is too precious to waste” (Zeigler, Wang, and et al).




Works Cited

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