Teen Facts About Alcohol
Although many teens may already know some facts about alcohol, their are many who learn from myths.
Share these important alcohol facts:
- Alcohol is a powerful drug that slows down the body and mind. It impairs coordination, slows reaction time, and impairs vision, clear thinking, and judgment.
- Beer and wine are not safer than hard liquor. A 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol and have the same effects on the body and mind.
- On average, it takes 2 to 3 hours for a single drink to leave the body’s system. Nothing can speed up this process, including drinking coffee or taking a cold shower.
- People tend to be very bad at judging how seriously alcohol has affected them. Many individuals who drive after drinking think they can control a car—but cannot.
- Anyone can develop a serious alcohol problem.
- Alcohol impacts both behavior and brain function differently in adolescents and adults.
- Adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of alcohol on learning and memory.
- Alcohol affects the sleep cycle, resulting in impaired learning and memory as well as disrupted release of hormones necessary for growth and maturation.
- Alcohol affects all parts of the brain, which affects coordination, emotional control, thinking, decision-making, hand-eye movement, speech, and memory.
- Adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.
- Binge drinking is extremely dangerous for adolescents given that their brain is especially vulnerable to alcohol-related damage.
- People who begin drinking in their early teens are not only at greater risk for developing alcoholism sometime in their lives, they are also at greater risk for developing alcoholism more quickly and at younger ages, especially chronic, relapsing alcoholism.
- People who begin drinking in their early teens are at greater risk for addiction to other drugs and habits, such as meth addiction or smoking.
Consult an alcohol rehab center to learn more about recovering from alcohol dependency.