The Effects of Alcohol on Psychological Development

Alcohol consumption is on the rise, especially among teenagers, 20 to 25 year olds and 30 to 35 year olds. Alcohol can have devastating effects on brain development, says the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. According to its website, people who drink large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time run the risk of developing serious and persistent changes in the brain. The effects of alcohol depend on how old the person in question is -- the younger the person, the more severely alcohol can affect them -- but negative implications of alcohol don't stop when a person reaches adulthood and is fully developed.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Unborn babies are the ones who suffer the most devastating effects of alcohol. If a mother drinks heavily during pregnancy, she risks her baby having growth deficiencies, poorly formed bones and organs, heart abnormalities, cleft palate, retarded intellect, delayed motor development, poor coordination, behavioral problems and learning disabilities.

Affects on Teenagers

• Teenagers are still in a phase of brain development, which is why they shouldn't be drinking at all. Alcohol can have long-lasting effects on teenagers and their developing brain. According to an article on medicine.net, people who drink heavily in their teenage years run a high risk of developing attention disorders as well as having potential difficulties with memory.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy

• Wernicke's Encephalopathy is a condition that can develop at any age because of alcohol abuse. It's caused because alcohol impairs the brain's ability to absorb thiamine, an enzyme it needs for growth and development. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website, the symptoms of this condition include mental confusion, paralysis of the nerves that move the eyes and difficulty with muscle coordination. Many Wernicke's encephalopathy patients don't experience all three symptoms.

Korsakoff's Psychosis

• Korsakoff's psychosis, also called wet brain, is a chronic syndrome that shows itself in persistent learning and memory problems. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, patients who develop this psychosis are forgetful, quickly get frustrated and have difficulty with walking and coordination. In addition to that, they have substantial trouble with memory: remembering old as well as new information. The ability to recall new information, especially, is affected by the psychosis, as patients can talk about something in striking detail but have no recollection of it only hours later.