Too much alcohol use isn’t just a problem for those over 21. In fact, underage drinking risks can be just as or more severe than those for adults. Knowing the potential impacts of underage drinking can help you understand why it should be avoided…
Underage Drinking Risks: Potential Impacts
Increase in risky behavior
Teenagers tend to already make much more riskier decisionsthan adults do. Additionally, drinking too much tends to cause people to make riskier decisions than usual. Combine these two things and you can see why a jump in risky behavior is one of the major underage drinking risks.
Underage drinkers tend to take risks that even they wouldn’t do while sober. These could be things like driving drunk or getting into fights. While they may think they’re doing something “cool” or “tough”, in reality they’re putting themselves and others at risk.
Behavioral changes
Another one of the underage drinking risks is changes in behavior. A teenager’s brain is constantly going under rapid changes. However, too much alcohol can really cause damage the brain and it’s still-developing cells.
This damage could lead to pretty sudden changes in a teenager’s mood and behavior. They may begin to neglect their school work and other responsibilities. This could get them into more trouble and harm than if they hadn’t been drinking in the first place. They could even become completely different than they used to be before they started drinking.
Health risks
The most apparent underage drinking risks are the health risks. These potential health problems can show up in a number of ways. Excessive underage alcohol abuse can lead to depression and anxiety. Alcohol can also disrupt hormones in the body, harming growth and puberty.
Furthermore, much like their brain, a young person’s other organs are also still developing. That means that alcohol can also lead to issues with ones stomach, liver, and kidneys. Younger people are also at a higher risk for alcohol poisoning due to alcohol having a much stronger impact on their bodies.
Underage drinking is something that parents should try to prevent as best they can. It’s especially important totalk to your childrenabout the risks that come with drinking. That way, your child will know just how serious it is.
