Health Risks
...alcohol is absorbed in the blood stream through the stomach lining. Depending on how much is ingested and how fast it was consumed, the effects of alcohol can last for several hours. Short-term risks include increased emotional reactions, staggering, double vision, loss of balance, nausea, vomiting and an impression of the room spinning.
The long-term risks of ongoing alcohol use include pancreatitis, liver damage and specific cancers. Alcohol use is the second leading cause of dementia; one simple ages quicker on alcohol.
According to information issued by the U. S. government publication entitled Prevention Alert, short-term memory is also severely impacted. In one study, short-term memory skills were evaluated in alcohol-dependent and nondependent adolescents ages 15 and 16. The alcohol-dependent youth had greater difficulty remembering words and simple geometric designs after a 10-minute interval.
Research shows that alcohol affects teen brains far differently than the brain of an adult, promoting not only minor impairments but also far-reaching effects like serious alcoholism in a more expeditious manner.
As the brain develops through the early 20's, the plasticity that allows teens to change and grow is squelched by alcohol and other drugs. Arrested development can manifest itself in many ways among teens and young adults affected by alcohol. A teenager's judgment is compromised to make bad choices in other areas, such as driving too fast or experimenting with sex and more serious drugs. When exposed to alcohol, most people -- especially young, inexperienced drinkers -- will have a spike in dopamine, the chemical that stimulates the primitive pleasure center of the brain.
Dr. Don Voreen, with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said scientific studies show the first experience with alcohol can be a big "high" for teens, but subsequent drinking experiences are less pleasurable, as the amount of alcohol required to achieve the first time experience becomes larger and larger. Brain pathways are disrupted and the threshold of pleasure is reset to require more stimuli each time. Eventually, this leads young people to not only drink more, but to experiment with other drugs that help stimulate the dopamine response.
According to Dr. Voreen, frequent alcohol abuse -- binge drinking most common among teens and other young adults under the age of 21 -- further aggravates the damage to the brain. All this dopamine release is not natural, so the brain pulls in the receptors for pleasure. The dopamine disintegrates and the system for experiencing pleasure eventually shuts down. Eventually an addict will become immune to the pleasures of food, sex and other gratifying pursuits.
Sponsored by the Panhandle Prevention Coalition
