Alcohol’s Effects on the Body & Brain
Know the law. Alcohol is ILLEGAL to buy, possess or drink if you are under 21.
Drinking alcohol – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:
Drinking alcohol affects your Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
Drinking alcohol affects your Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems.
Drinking alcohol affects your Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations.
Drinking alcohol can cause Cancer:
Drinking alcohol increases your risk of developing various cancers, including cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx, liver, and breast.
Drinking alcohol affects your Immune System:
Drinking alcohol can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease.
Drinking alcohol increases the risk of physical and sexual assault:
People who drink alcohol are more likely to carry out or be the victim of a physical or sexual assault after drinking than others their age who do not drink.
Drinking alcohol can lead to developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD):
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) are medical conditions that doctors diagnose when someone’s drinking causes them distress or harm. In 2014 about 679,000 young people ages 12-17 had an AUD. Even more important, the younger the use of alcohol the more likely one is to develop an AUD later in life.
Resources for Parents
As a parent, you have a strong influence over whether your child decides to drink or not. Stay informed about the dangers of underage drinking, and find opportunities to discuss the dangers of alcohol with your son/daughter. Studies show that a person who starts drinking before age 15 is four times more likely to develop alcoholism than someone who delays drinking until age 21.
Each year, about 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking.
Learn more at:
Partnership for Drug Free Kids:
http://drugfree.org/article/how-to-address-underage-drinking/
Parent UP VT:
http://parentupvt.org/whats-at-stake/surprising-alcohol-facts/#sthash.kgINSKOI.dpuf
Drug Free NH:
http://drugfreenh.org/get-information/drug-guide/alcohol
Resources for Teens
Underage drinking is drinking alcohol before a person turns age 21, which is the minimum legal drinking age in the United States. Underage drinking is a serious problem. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance of abuse among young people in America, and drinking when you’re underage puts your health and safety at risk.
Learn more at:
