Embedded Files
and adolescents who drink alcohol are at increased risk for a number of conditions.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism:
In 2022, about 19.7% of youth ages 14 to 15 reported having at least 1 drink in their lifetime.
In 2022, 5.8 million youth ages 12 to 20 reported drinking alcohol beyond “just a few sips” in the past month.
While historically, adolescent males were more likely to drink than adolescent females, that has reversed in the years since COVID.
Preventing early use of alcohol is important because early initiation of use increases risk of alcohol-related consequences.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming 5 or more drinks on the same occasion for males and 4 or more drinks on the same occasion for females.
Effects of Alcohol Use before age 21
Research repeatedly connects adolescent alcohol use with significant impairments to brain function. This includes impacts to cognitive function, memory, and school performance that can carryover into adulthood.
Research shows adolescent alcohol use, especially binge drinking, is linked to a reduction in size of the frontal lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, and the corpus callosum.
Research shows adolescent alcohol use leads to increased engagement in risky behaviors that can result in injury, assaults, accidents, and even death.
Alcohol also impairs the ability to recognize and respond to danger which has been shown to increase risk of fights, accidents, and injuries.
Tips for Teens alcohol pdf.pdfPage updated
Report abuse