The Effects Of Drinking Age On Brain Development

The article, “Alcohol can rewire the teenage brain,” starts by stating that more than 4,750 American kids aged 15 and younger, said they took their first drink of alcohol already. Kids who start drinking before the age of 15 are more likely to become alcoholics because they get addicted to the drug. The article also states that they are more likely to start binge drinking. A study conducted by Lorena Siqueira a pediatrician at the Florida International University and Nicklaus Children’s hospital in Miami, reported that, “When kids drink, they tend to do heavy drinking,” and that, “Their bodies are not ready to handle that kind of alcohol.” Teens think that alcohol will help them feel happier and better, but that is not true. Teens also drink

Dahl states that the brain develops throughout adolescence. During this time, the speed that neurons are able to travel within the brain increases (US Department of Human Health and Services (DHHS)). The speed of neurons affects the ability to call judgement and control emotions during a situation. Since adolescents under twenty-one are not able to fully make proper and wise decisions, they should not be allowed to make a decision such as to drink or to be trusted in making a good decision after drinking. Additionally, studies show that drinking before the brain fully develops is harmful and potentially causes permanent effects such as cognitive defects and incomplete development (US Federal Trade Commision (FTC)). Barring alcohol from people under the age of twenty-one protects them from future damage. Therefore they should not be allowed to partake in alcohol consumption until their brains are safely and fully developed.

Some may think that teenagers are grown up enough and are mature enough to drink alcoholic beverages at the age of eighteen. However, research indicates otherwise. To start off, alcohol is very harmful to the brain. It kills brain cells, and it affects the cerebellum, medulla, hippocampus and many other parts of the brain. It can be seen why alcohol is so dangerous in the article “Alcohol and Developing Brain”. The author says, “Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. Alcohol can appear to be a stimulant because, initially, it depresses the part of the brain that controls inhibitions” (toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov). Since

By avoiding alcohol before the age of 25 you could be saving many of your brain cells. People who drink before the age of 25 are putting their prefrontal cortex in danger. Your prefrontal cortex is the front part of your brain that helps you focus and stay organized. The legal age to drink is 21, but should be changed because people are killing their developing brain cells that they will not be able to get back. Drinking before your brain fully develops can cause irreversible brain damage. This essay will demonstrate how drinking before you are 25 can kill brain cells, damage your prefrontal cortex and get you to do things that you wouldn't want to do.

The U.S. gov’t has set an age limit on the consumption of alcohol, in order to lead safer and healthier lives. One reason it is believed to be safer if one cannot drink alcohol until the age of 21, is because the brain has not fully developed and the consumption of alcohol will interfere with that development. But is it really safer if the drinking age is 21, rather than 18? Many people will believe that it is safer, because that’s what the gov’t tells them, but those people will often fail to see the whole picture. Other than brain development,

Alcohol has been a large part of society for many years. Currently out of the 190 countries in the world, 61% of them have drinking ages of 18 or 19. While 12 other countries have their drinking ages set at 21. In those 12 countries is the United States, who after 1984 raised their national minimum drinking age when Congress passed the Minimum Drinking Age Act. The drinking age in recent years has became a topic of controversy with people arguing that it showed be lowered back to 18 or 19. Their reasoning for this is that when a citizen in the United States turns 18 they are allowed to vote, enlist for the draft, serve in the armed forces, and get married, and serve on a jury. They are now considered adults in the eyes of the government. However while being considered a legal adult, individuals cannot drink. The argument for lowering the drinking age is that if an individual is treated as an adult and can die for their country, individuals should be able to drink alcohol legally. While there is support for lowering the drinking age, there is also support for keeping the drinking age where it is currently set. The common argument for keeping the drinking age at twenty-one is that the brain is not fully developed and alcohol usage before a developed brain can cause side effects. There are studies supporting both sides’ arguments for lowering the drinking age and keeping the drinking age.

Kylie Lang, an associate editor at The Courier-Mail, argues that the drinking age should be raised to twenty-five because brain development does not stop occurring till the mid to late twenty’s. Lang addresses that people start to make more thought out decisions in their life and manage risk better when they reach their thirty’s. The article is aimed at the people who do not think there are any negative effect of drinking alcohol at a young age. Kylie Lang uses the statistic to show that since raising the drinking age from eighteen to to twenty-one that motor vehicle accidents involving alcohol has drop sixteen percentage and believes that raising the legal drinking age to twenty-five that it will keep dropping. Her purpose is to inform the

drinking can have harmful effects on a developing brain (“Dangers of Teen Drinking” FTC). As

Dr. John Allen says, “that consuming the substance [alcohol] impacts your hippocampus, an area of the brain that handles your memory and learning” (Turner). Allen did a study on the hippocampus of adolescents who drank regularly and on the hippocampus of adolescents who did not drink; the hippocampus of non-drinkers were around ten percent larger than the drinkers. The study showed that drinking affects the memory and learning capabilities of adolescents (Turner). Then when one turns 18 he or she can vote, go to war, and move out. Even though all of these are considered to be adult decisions, it doesn’t mean one is fully mature. According to Sarah Aamodt, a neuroscientist, “the changes that happen between 18 and 25 are a continuation of the process that starts around puberty, and 18 year olds are about halfway through that process. Their prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed”. The prefrontal cortex is crucial because it is, “the part of the brain that helps you to inhibit impulses and to plan and organize your behavior to reach a goal” (Aamodt). So even though one is legally considered an adult at 18 he or she has not reached their full capacity for maturity, and will not until they are 25. This means that it is more likely for a young person to make risky decisions and be less responsible. When juveniles start consuming alcoholic beverages they welcome a detrimental

Even though the legal age to start drinking in the United States is twenty-one, most teenagers tend to start drinking beforehand. These teenagers drink more heavily than adults do; therefore, developmental issues tend to be a factor that may affect a teenager’s system if they drink throughout their lifespan. Although teenagers are aware that drunk driving can be fatal and can cause permanent damage, they recklessly get behind the wheel under the

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.

The legal age of drinking should be raised to twenty-one as it will be beneficial for all Canadians. Primarily, this act would promote an increase of security for young adults that on occasion fail to realize the repercussions of alcohol. Studies have shown, taken from International Survey Associates, that adolescent brains aren’t fully developed at age eighteen. In fact, there is reason to believe, experts representatives from Mental Health Daily explain, that our brains aren’t fully developed until well in our twenties; age twenty-five more specifically. That is due to the synaptic pruning, a process by which brain synapses are selectively eliminated which peaks during puberty and can remain that way for many

Brain development is a key part of becoming an adult, and it continues developing until the age of 25 (Shelat). During the ages of 18 to 20, our brains are at an important stage of development, “in which the gray-matter volume decreases and the white-matter volume increases” (MRI Study). However, drinking can reverse this effect, and younger people will develop more gray-matter then white-matter. Alcohol affects the brains as it makes us have difficulty walking, blurred

The brain does not fully develop until the age of 25 or 26. This makes drinking at 18 very dangerous to the frontal lobe which controls memories, behavior, The drinking age has always been a very controversial topic in America. Some people believe that the drinking age should be lowered to 18, while others think that it should remain the current age of 21. We believe that the drinking age should stay the current number in order to save more lives and protect many people from getting harmed in any way. Cognitive defects of the brain, assaults in bars and nightclubs, and drinking and driving are three points that prove the importance of why 21 is the best number for drinking

Alcoholism is a national epidemic not only costing millions, but causing misery to entire family systems. The evidence is readily available as easily as entering the key word “alcoholism” into any browser. Innumerable references, studies, resources and personal opinions are found. Narrowing the topic for discussion, to specific gender; women and a specific age related milestone; menopause, the effects of alcoholism and how this effects growth and development will be