Essay on The Effects Alcohol Has On Teens

The use of alcohol will have a significant impact on a person’s brain which causes other parts of the body to be affected. As an adolescent, alcohol can have a much more negative effect on the brain, since it is not fully developed.

These effects lead to the familiar signs of drunkenness: difficulty walking, slurred speech, memory lapses, and impulsive behavior. Long-term heavy drinking can shrink the frontal lobes of the brain, which impairs thinking skills” (NIH Senior Health, 2012). Additionally, Alcohol has a detrimental affect one the liver, another vital organ in the body. It causes an infectious death upon the liver, especially if consumption is taking place for a long period time. Interestingly enough, statistics show that drinking alcohol can affect the heart in good and bad ways. On one hand, studies show that moderate drinking -- up to two drinks a day for men and one drink for women -- can lower the chances of developing heart disease. On the other hand; however, heavy drinking -- either all at once or over time -- can damage the heart. Long-term alcohol use can also result in high blood pressure, which increases a person's risk of heart disease (NIH Senior Health, 2012).

“Eighty percent of twenty-one year olds admit to purchasing alcohol for younger friends (Bonnie 5). If twenty-one year olds give alcohol to their younger friend, what makes people think that eighteen year olds wouldn’t do it too. If the legal drinking age is lowered to eighteen, eighteen year olds in high school might have sibling that is in middle school so those middle schools will also have access to alcohol. Surveys show that the most common source for alcohol among eighteen to twenty year olds is their twenty-one to twenty-four-year-old peers (Clark). Teen drinking can cause suicides. There is more pressure on teen than adults and when alcohol is added to the mix is only increases those effect (Arguments). Alcohol an affect you being a good student and it can also increase the risk of depression, violence and suicide. “Drinking and drug use may begin very early for young Americans. A new study has shown that by the time a teen reaches late adolescents, most of them have drank alcohol and use illicit substances”(National Institute). The younger you start can increase the risk of alcoholism at a young age. This can eventually lead to death.

The digestive enzymes within your pancreas build up which causes digestive issues with and end state of pancreatitis. Diarrhea and bloating are also common side effects of heavy drinking and people often develop ulcers or hemorrhoids. To add to the digestive system, alcohol can also cause severe damage to the circulatory system. “More than two drinks a day can increase your change of developing high blood pressure.” (Sutton, 2007) This high blood pressure can cause irregular heartbeats, difficulty with the flow of blood through the circulatory system, and can ultimately cause a heart attack or heart failure.

Alcohol consumption affects every aspect of the human body, specifically the brain, liver, central nervous system, pancreas, stomach, and increased cancer risks.

Underage drinking is a very eminent problem for Americans today. Some may not know that the human brain continues to develop until the age of twenty-five. Underage drinking can weaken neurological development, which could cause minors to make bad decisions, have memory loss, slower thought processes, and even acquire irreversible brain damage. Drinking when your body and mind are not fully developed can leave damaging effects on a person’s social abilities, neurological abilities, and overall health.

As a result of extreme alcohol usage, the body becomes impaired. The physical effects come in a wide variety of types, but all shorten the life of the user considerably. Internally, alcohol mutilates organs such as the heart and liver while externally, alcohol causes weight gain and the dehydration of your skin causing it to look blotchy. In the heart, alcohol weakens the muscles which can cause heart failure. Additionally, high blood pressure or hypertension often occurs which increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Because of long term alcohol use, arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat can occur. Sudden deaths are often the result of an arrhythmia. Another organ affected is the lungs. Oftenly, alcoholics are more likely to get pneumonia because of the increased amount of

Alcohol abuse in high school teens is very common . Three-fourths of high school seniors have experimented with alcohol, according to a report by the Fairfax, Va.-based Society for Prevention Research.(M. C. B 1) . 95% of the time high schoolers start drinking because of peer pressure . Also, males are likely to start drinking before females do .Teens that drink often are three times more likely to commit self-harm such as cutting or suicide attempts than teens that don’t drink. Adolescent drinking represents a significant problem in the United States (Doumas 1) . The Effects of Alcohol Abuse in High School teenagers are death, low academics, and health issues .

Alcohol has been severely damaging young individuals health both mentally and physically. Even though alcohol can be harmful at any age it is especially dangerous for teens as their brains are still developing and cannot cope with alcohol the same way as an adult can. When consumed

Alcohol can cause harm to your insides, such as the liver, Pancreas, and heart. It can cause dehydration and getting to a certain point it becomes dangerous and hospitalization may be needed. Alcohol is hard on the immune system and eventually abusing the alcohol can permanently damage the body for your whole life. Some drink alcohol over the recommended limit and the after effects are harmful. Commonly people are sick, can also be called a “Hangover” and throw up frequently. It cause

Teenagers are America’s greatest natural resource, and they need to be protected from some of the evils that lurk in the world. A subject that needs special attention is the abuse of alcohol by teens. Statistics show that there is a problem currently between teens and alcohol. There are many causes of teenage drinking and effects that prove that drinking is an important issue that needs to be dealt with to preserve American teenagers. Teenage drinking will become worse of a problem if it continues unchecked on its current path to destruction. Alcohol abuse among teenagers in the United States is a plague that is destroying the structure of American society.

Alcohol has no beneficial attributes on a person’s health. Alcohol can have several harmful effects on human organs. Some organs in the human body that are damaged by alcohol consumption are the brain, kidneys, and liver. The human liver is the one organ that suffers the most damage. As stated in an article published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Because the liver is the chief organ responsible for metabolizing alcohol, it is especially vulnerable to alcohol – related injury” (NIAAA, 2005). Regular use of alcohol can lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The severity of ALD can vary based on several different factors. Some of these factors include gender, age, the amount consumed, and how often alcohol is used. “ALD includes three conditions: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis” (Alcohol Alert, 2005).

Alcohol’s more subtle effects can be just as bad as road fatalities. It causes chronic diseases such as: liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, and various cancers including: liver, mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus. It is also known to cause high

Teenage binge drinking (consumption of five or more alcohol drinks in a row) has grown to be a serious problem in the United States. A report in 2009 from the Surgeon General’s office show alcohol consumption by teens start as early as 11 years of age for boys and 13 years of age for girls (Grant & Dawson, 1997). In the youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report (2007), data results showed that over three million teenagers in grades 6 through 12 are alcoholics, and several million teens have serious health issues due to drinking. Further research conducted by the Harvard School of Public health (2006) show a direct correlation of automobile accidents, alcohol poisoning, poor academic performance. violence and

Effects of alcohol include difficulties making desicoions, and a slow reaction time. However, this is just a portion of the dangerous things alcohol can do to you. Alcohol also affects your liver, nervous system and heart - this happens when ethanol enters your bloodstream. When ethanol enters your bloodstream, it slows you down - increasing your risk of accidents, attacking others - and even pregnancy as you may make extremely unsafe decisions.