Drug abuse and the effects on you Part 3 - Alcohol - Information for teens

"Come on, just one sip.  Nobody will know.  Don't be such a party pooper.  It will not affect you, you will like it."

These are words that you have maybe heard before...  Your friends trying to influence you to take a drink or two or three or six...

Alcohol can be highly addictive.  There is nothing wrong with having a drink now and then when you are over the legal age, but drinking every day and being dependent on alcohol to get through the day, makes you an alcoholic and it also damages your body and brain and organs in many ways.

The influence of alcohol on your brain

There is a reason why there are laws against teenage drinking - the brain of a teenager (the part that will have to make decisions and realize consequences of their decisions) is still developing.  If a teenager drinks too much it will inhibit the development of the brain.

There are short and long term effects that will occur.

In the short run you will get drunk and not be able to make rational decisions.  You will easily be influenced to do the wrong thing and you can easily get hurt or get into trouble which you will be sorry about the next day.

In the long run it will affect the brain in such a way that it can even become difficult to learn new things.  Your marks will go down and you will even show aggressive behavior at times.  

If you drink too much as a teenager, it will increase you risk to get dependent on it later in life which means your chances of becoming an alcoholic is so much bigger.

Does alcohol have an effect on your body?

Surely the alcohol will just move through and out of your body? Not true.  As we mentioned above it will influence your judgement which may make you do reckless or risky things.  

At first it will make you very happy, without worries and you will feel strong and pretty, but unfortunately this does not last.

If you continue to drink more and more it will start making you loose your balance, you will have difficulty speaking and you can drink so much that you can get alcohol poisoning.  If you do not get help for this you can die.

You can pass out and vomit in your 'passed out state' and choke that can lead to death or your breathing will be affected that can also be fatal.

A big mistake that people make is they think when they have stopped drinking they are 'sober' and can drive, but there are still alcohol in your body and blood and can still have an influence on your decisions and reflexes.

 On average, the liver takes one hour to metabolize one ounce of alcohol. For most people, one ounce of alcohol will produce a .015 blood-alcohol concentration. This means someone with a .015 blood-alcohol level will have little to no alcohol in their bloodstream after 10 hours have passed. 

What can the misuse of alcohol cause?

Unfortunately when you are drunk, you are more prone to fall, or make bad decisions.  You can even be sexually assaulted and not remember what happened.  

You can get in or cause an accident or some people get very depressed when they have drank too much and can think that suicide is a solution to their problems.

It can influence your performance in school and on the sport field and if you keep on drinking you can develop 'alcohol use disorder' (AUD).  This can be the beginning of becoming an alcoholic later in life.

Alcoholism is the inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol.

Symptoms include repeated alcohol consumption despite related legal and health issues. Those with alcoholism may begin each day with a drink, feel guilty about their drinking and have the desire to cut down on the amount of drinking.

Treatment involves counselling by a healthcare professional. A detoxification program in a hospital or medical facility is an option for those who need additional assistance. Medications are available that reduce the desire to drink.

Why do teenagers drink if it is bad for them?

There are many reasons why teenagers drink and one of the biggest is 'peer pressure'.  Nobody wants to feel left out between their friends.  But ask yourself If I hurt myself or get in trouble because I was drunk, will these people still stand up for me or take my parent's  or school's punishment for me?

Teenagers also drink to get rid of stress or feel better about themselves.

Even if you think that alcohol is going to solve your problems, it will not.  It is only a temporary fix and when you are sober again you have to face a lot of new problems.

Love yourself enough to say NO to excessive use of alcohol and protect yourself from the dangers and harm it can create.

Even if you think you can enjoy life more with alcohol, give yourself a chance to be the best person you can be - without any drugs in your system.  

You are more than enough.  

And the people who accept you for who you are, without drinking, those are your true friends.

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