Alcohol plays a strong role in our culture – people drink to socialize, celebrate, and relax and sometimes as an escape from things that are troubling them. Although the legal drinking age in our country is 21, experience and data show that many teens consume alcohol well before they reach the legal age. While people have a variety of attitudes towards teen drinking, there are many reasons why parents should be concerned about their teen’s alcohol use or potential use. Learn the facts about teens and alcohol and take the time to talk with your child about how alcohol effects their developing brain and body, how much is too much, how to avoid risky drinking behaviors and how to recognize when someone is in trouble because of alcohol use and what to do.
Teenage Alcohol Use
Since 1975 the Monitoring The Future survey has measured drug and alcohol use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. The most recent (2018) data included reports of past-month use of alcohol by 8.2 percent of 8th graders, 18.6 percent of 10th graders, and 30.2 percent of 12th graders, respectively. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/monitoring-future-survey-high-school-youth-trends Our local data shows that while our eighth graders report past-month alcohol use at a rate slightly below their national peers, our 10th and 12th graders are using alcohol in higher numbers than the national average – at 29.2% and 42.9% respectively. http://newcastleunitedforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/December-2017-Final-Survey-Report.pdf
Why should we care if our teens are drinking?
People’s attitudes toward teenage alcohol use varies. Some view teen drinking as a rite of passage while others believe teens should not drink at all. Why should we be concerned about teen drinking? Drinking alcohol as a teen can:
- Impair judgment, leading to poor decisions
- Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
- Cause injury or death
- Based on data from 2006–2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, on average, alcohol is a factor in the deaths of 4,358 young people under age 21 each year. This includes: 1,580 deaths from motor vehicle crashes; 1,269 from homicides; 245 from alcohol poisoning, falls, burns, and drowning; 492 from suicides.
- Increase the risk of alcohol problems later in life
- Research shows that people who start drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.
- Interfere with brain development
- Research shows that young people’s brains keep developing well into their 20s. Alcohol can alter this development, potentially affecting both brain structure and function.
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking/Underage_Fact.pdf
How Does Alcohol Effect the Body?
Understanding the way alcohol effects us helps us to understand why drinking can be dangerous. Why does alcohol cause us to act and feel differently? How much is too much? Why do some people become addicted while others do not?
Alcohol’s effects vary from person to person, depending on a variety of factors, including:
- How much you drink
- How often you drink
- Your age
- Your health status
- Your family history
Consequences of drinking too much
Alcohol enters your bloodstream as soon as you take your first sip. Alcohol’s immediate effects can appear within about 10 minutes. As you drink, you increase your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level, which is the amount of alcohol present in your bloodstream. The higher your BAC, the more impaired you become by alcohol’s effects. These effects can include:
- Reduced inhibitions
- Slurred speech
- Motor impairment
- Confusion
- Memory problems
- Concentration problems
- Coma
- Breathing problems
- Death
People who drink too much over a long period of time may experience alcohol’s longer-term effects, which can include alcohol use disorder, health problems such as heart, liver and pancreas and even increased risk for certain cancers.
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body
Know What’s In Your Cup
Blood Alcohol Content
While all parents should talk to teens about not using alcohol, it is equally important that parents help their teens understand the impact of alcohol they or their friends may consume so that do not drive while impaired or get in the car of someone who has been drinking.
Factors Influencing BAC:
If you’ve been drinking, your BAC and your level of impairment depend on five factors:
- the amount of alcohol you drink;
- the amount of food you eat before or while you drink alcohol;
- the length of time you drink alcohol;
- your body weight;
- your gender.
Not all alcoholic drinks are equivalent – the “standard drink”
It’s important to remember that not all alcoholic drinks are equivalent when it comes to the amount of alcohol they contain. Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a “standard drink”. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of beer, wine, or liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. That’s why it’s important to know how much alcohol your drink contains. In the United States, one “standard” drink contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in:
- 12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol;
- 5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol;
- 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, which is about 40% alcohol.
There is no quick fix to become sober.
Cold showers, coffee and other popular methods of “sobering up” have no impact on BAC. The only thing that affects sobriety is time – time for your body to metabolize the alcohol which will lower your BAC. Unlike alcohol absorption rates which are impacted by stomach contents, weight and gender, all people metabolize alcohol at the same rate. The body eliminates alcohol in the body at a fairly constant rate of about .015 of BAC per hour, which is generally thought of as about one standard drink per hour.
While it is good for teens to know these facts, they also need to understand that there often is no such thing as a standard drink – think of the overflowing beer cup, the generous pour in a wine glass or the numerous shots that make up a Long Island Iced Tea. Teens also need to understand that not everyone processes alcohol in the same way. One person may feel buzzed after just a few sips of a drink, while another may take longer to feel the effects. Someone who takes longer to feel “tipsy” may consume more than they realize in a short period of time.
More Information:
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/what-standard-drink)
https://www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org/how-can-i-sober-up-fast/
Binge Drinking
Excessive drinking over a short amount of time is known as binge drinking. In order to be considered a “binge,” the drinker’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) must reach or exceed 0.08 grams per 100 grams of blood. This usually happens when a man consumes 5 or more drinks or a woman consumes 4 or more drinks over the course of about 2 hours. For teens, the amount necessary to reach that BAC are usually less – as little as 3 drinks for teen girls and younger boys.
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
What are the dangers of binge drinking?
Rapidly rising BAC and potential for Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol impacts the brain because it crosses the blood-brain barrier. As your BAC rises, your brain exhibits more effects of intoxication. What begins as an initial euphoria is followed by uncoordination, lack of balance, loss of social inhibitions, sleepiness and sometimes depression and hostility.
When a person’s BAC exceeds .15, they have entered the “depressive state” of intoxication which can include lowered blood pressure, depressed respiration in addition to extreme tiredness. At this stage, there is a great risk of vomiting and choking on that vomit as the body’s gag reflex is also impacted.
When a person’s BAC continues to rise, they begin to experience alcohol poisoning. If untreated, alcohol poisoning can lead to a coma or death due to respiratory depression.
Blackouts and Hangovers
Binge drinking may result in a “blackout,” or losing memory of events that occurred during a drinking episode. Alcohol specifically interferes with the brain’s ability to make long-term memories from short-term memories and experiences. Blackouts are based on the amount of alcohol consumed and are more common in adolescents than adults. A teenager who is at the “blackout” level of intoxication will also have lowered inhibitions, which may lead them to engage in risky behavior they can’t remember the next day.
A “hangover” is a constellation of symptoms that usually occur within 6 to 24 hours after a heavy or prolonged drinking episode. The symptoms include headache, dizziness, inability to concentrate, stomach issues such as nausea and vomiting, irritability, and anxiety. Heart and lung functions may also be impacted. A teenager with a hangover won’t be able to perform well physically or academically. Frequent “hangovers” may interrupt the normal processes of the developing adolescent brain which may lead to long term impacts.
Binge Drinking – Neurobiology of Intoxication, Blackout, and Hangover,
Lorena Siqueira, Vincent C. Smith, COMMITTEE ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE, American Academy of Pediatrics, September 2015, Volume 136, Issue 3, https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/3/e718
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. When someone drinks too much and gets alcohol poisoning, it affects the body’s involuntary reflexes — including breathing and the gag reflex. If the gag reflex isn’t working properly, a person can choke to death on his or her vomit.
Other signs someone may have alcohol poisoning include:
- extreme confusion
- inability to be awakened
- vomiting
- seizures
- slow or irregular breathing
- low body temperature
- bluish or pale skin
If you think someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately.
Other Risky Drinking Behaviors – Combining Prescription Drugs and Alcohol
Teens (and adults) need to know that combining prescription drugs and alcohol can be lethal. Whether it’s a drug prescribed for you or something you’re experimenting with, you need to consider the interactions BEFORE you start mixing it with alcohol.
Particularly dangerous is mixing a depressant, like Xanax, with alcohol which is also a depressant. Both drugs depress the central nervous system, making an adverse reaction more likely. Taking Xanax with alcohol will increase the effects of the alcohol, causing you to reach the life threatening effects of alcohol more quickly and after drinking less.
It can be equally dangerous to combine a stimulant with alcohol. Some stimulants commonly available to teens include medications used to treat ADD such as Ritalin or Adderall. Some teens may “borrow” a friend’s ADD medication to counteract the depressive effects of drinking alcohol. This behavior is dangerous because alcohol can enhance the negative effects of a stimulant medication, including increased heartrate and bloodpressure. The combination may also increase the user’s anxiety levels, Finally, because the stimulant counteracts the effects of the alcohol, the user may drink more more quickly increasing the risk of extreme intoxication or alcohol poisoning.
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/prescription-drugs/mixing
Parents Play An Important Role In Teen’s Drinking Decisions
Parents can and should influence their teen’s relationship with alcohol. Well intentioned parents may think that allowing their teen to consume moderate amounts of alcohol in their home is a way to keep them safe and to teach them how to drink responsibly. While this “harm reduction” strategy may seem like a good idea, experts say that this strategy may have the unintended consequence of encouraging binge drinking.
A far better strategy for parents is to have frequent conversations with your children concerning the facts about alcohol and your values around alcohol use starting at an early age, well before they are likely to drink. By educating your teen on facts like how heavy drinking during adolescence can impact brain development and letting them know that you care about them and want them to stay safe you are more likely to raise a child who will make good choices around alcohol use.
For more information, read the articles below.
“The Fallacy of the I Turned Out Fine Argument”, New York Times Family Section, 11/27/2018