The Health Effects of Teen Alcohol Use

Alcohol consumption is something that a teenager may witness every day of his life. Adults in movies drink alcohol, adults in television shows do it and for some teenagers, their parents also drink. When a teenager decides to drink, however, it's different. Teenage drinkers are risking problems with their development and exposing themselves to other health issues that can effect how they will live for the rest of their lives.

Alcohol Addiction

• When teenagers drink alcoholic beverages the last thing on their mind is addiction. Drinking beer and taking shots of liquor may seem like a social activity, but Learn-About-Alcoholism.com, says differently. The online resource dedicated to helping individuals who have alcohol dependency and abuse released a statistic from The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism stating, "Teens who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop an alcohol addiction than those who start drinking at the age of 21." That means that something you decide to do for fun could take you the rest of your life to stop doing.

Weight Gain

• The phrase, "beer belly" refers to the round stomach that beer drinkers develop. For a teenagers who drinks regularly, he will gain more than a larger stomach. Teenage drinkers are likely to get fat. Having four or five drinks in a row, especially in young teens, makes him susceptible to being overweight and developing high blood pressure."

Memory Loss

• Recalling simple words and sentences can become a challenge for the teen who becomes alcohol-dependent. This leads to academic problems and, in some cases, complete scholastic failure. During your teenage years, your mind is still formative, developing new thinking patterns and grasping life concepts. Introducing alcohol to your body at such a time interrupts this growth process.

Depression and Suicide

• A teenager whot turns to alcohol to help feel better is actually doing more harm than good. While alcohol has the ability to intoxicate, it causes sadness to lead to depression. Instead of overcoming whatever struggles you may be facing, when you drink alcohol, you magnify those issues. This can lead you to experience feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

  Alcohol is so closely related to depression and suicide that The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports, "Out of the 5,000 annual deaths related to teen drinking, 300 will be suicides."

  Consuming alcohol won't take away your problems and won't provide you with long-term happiness. If you are constantly dealing with thoughts of sadness, talk with someone immediately. School counselors, parents and community mentors are all positive outlets to help you enjoy life and living.