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New Research Shows Underage Drinking Can Have Lasting
Effects
Dr. Ginger Longo
Underage drinking is a
growing problem in our society. The
latest statistics associated with underage drinking in the
Almost one half of eight
grade students surveyed had tried some form of alcohol and by their senior year
at least three quarters of these teens had experimented with alcohol. Thirty percent of seniors report drinking at
least three times a month, again, many times in the form of binge
drinking.
The problems associated with
alcohol use including high-risk behavior, advancing on to other drugs, and
potential for overdose have always been reasons enough to encourage our youth
not to drink. New research suggests
there are some lasting effects on brain development that are just as worrisome. Ingestion of alcohol during this critical
time in the developing mind affects two major centers.
The first area, the
hippocampus, is important in memory and learning. Those adolescents with a history of alcohol
use showed decreased ability to recall simple tasks compared to adolescents who
did not use alcohol. Additionally, they
had the poorest performance on verbal and nonverbal recall of information
taught.
The second area of the brain
affected is the pre-frontal lobe. This
area is important in forming our personality and future behavior patterns. The
“CEO” of the brain is what allows us to appreciate the consequences of our
actions. Most disturbing is the finding
that these effects do not go away when the drinking stops, leaving the
adolescent who drinks unable to proceed into adulthood with their full
potential. Many will not have the
cognitive or emotional skills needed to lead a successful life.
Additionally, drinking
before the age of fifteen puts the adolescent at a five times greater risk of
developing alcoholism than an individual who does not begin drinking until
after the age of twenty-one.
As we learn more about the
implications of underage drinking, it is imperative we come together as a
community to prevent it. As parents we
must educate our child about the immediate and long term consequences of
underage drinking. As responsible adults we must not encourage underage
drinking by providing alcohol to minors.
And, as a community we must not support advertisements from companies
that target underage drinkers.
The Kittitas County
Community Network/Drug Free Communities Coalition and the Community Network agency,
through a federal Drug Free Communities grant, is
implementing the “Start Talking Before They Start Drinking” as a community
service for parents. For more
information on the campaign, go to www.kccn-dfc.com.
Dr. Ginger Longo is an OBGYN
with Dr. Sand’s Practice in Ellensburg.
