This Is What Teenagers Should Know About Alcohol

Health & Well-beingJuly 31, 2017

Alcohol is a highly potent addictive drug that is damaging and even lethal. Many adults consume alcohol in moderation, which is safe. At the same time, there are those who drink too much and get hurt. Teenagers can consider alcohol as a harmful substance that is also illegal.

If you are a teen, you should go through the following information and update your knowledge on alcohol and teenage consumption of this substance. Also, please share the information with your friends, especially if they indulging in alcohol.

[su_quote class=”cust-pagination”]Drive: 16 Vote: 18 Fight and Die for this country: 18 Indiscrepancy? I think so. However, just as guns and drinking don’t mix, neither should cars and drinking.” — Anonymous [/su_quote]

What Is Alcohol?

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Ethyl alcohol or ethanol is the scientific name for alcohol that is consumed by people. Beer, wine, and liquor all have ethyl alcohol as its main ingredient. Other types of alcohol such as isopropyl are poisonous.

What Happens When You Consume Alcohol?

When you take alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer, the alcohol enters the bloodstream from the stomach and the small intestine. After that, it travels to the brain. The alcohol slows down reaction time and makes you feel the loss of coordination. It also impairs your vision. Even when you take it in low doses, it can lead to unclear thinking and create problems when making good judgments.

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Alcohol Is A Highly Addictive Substance

Alcohol is a highly addictive substance. Approximately 18 million adults have fallen prey to this addiction. This indicates that these people need to drink alcohol consistently to function normally. However, their consumption of alcohol is causing problems in their lives.

Alcohol addiction can begin at any time in the lives of a user. Beginning the habit of consuming alcohol as a teenager can increase the risk of addiction. Teenagers who begin consuming alcohol before the age of 15 are five times likely to develop an addiction than the people who begin drinking at the age of 21 or later.

Is There A Safety Factor In Different Types of Alcoholic Drinks?

Alcoholic drinks of all types contain alcohol. Therefore, they are all dangerous. The higher the level of your consumption, the more you are likely to be impaired. Beer, wine, and liquor have different amounts of alcohol. Beer contains between 3%and 5%, wine contains around 12%, and liquor contains approximately 40% of alcohol. The quantity of alcohol in one beer is the same as one glass of wine or a single shot of liquor.

Why Do People Consume Alcohol?

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Consuming alcohol is considered as a social activity. As such, it is common to see many people having a drink with their friends. Alcohol has the potential to make you feel less inhibited and put you at ease when socializing and drinking.

People also begin to consume alcohol because the people around them are doing so. However, this can be a deterring habit because it can lead to excessive consumption, which is dangerous.

At the same time, some people enjoy the taste of alcoholic beverages, but they limit their consumption. Alcohol may be good for the heart when it is consumed with meals in moderate quantities.

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Why Should You Refrain From Alcohol Consumption?

There are various reasons for teenagers not to drink alcohol. At least, they should wait until they are 21. Alcohol indulgence can expose you to many problems such as:

21 is the legal age when you are allowed to consume alcohol.
As a teenager, your brain is still developing. Alcohol poses the risks of memory impairment.
Beginning to consume alcohol as a teenager puts you at a higher risk of being addicted.

[su_quote class=”cust-pagination”] “With such compelling information, the question is why haven’t we been able to do more to prevent the crisis of underage drinking? The answer is the alcohol industry.” — Lucille Roybal-Allard [/su_quote]

Conclusion

As a teen, you are likely to be pressurized to have a drink with your peers at some point in school or college. However, many teenagers are currently refusing alcohol and it is okay to say no. You must not feel left out of the crowd just because you do not give in to peer pressure.