Despite the fact that drinking alcohol is illegal under 18 or 21 in almost every country around the world, research shows many teenagers use alcohol. Alcohol intake and regularity of alcohol consumption among adolescents varies across the different countries. However, it is a well-known fact that teenagers drink in spite of the laws and measures taken to prevent alcohol consumption among young people. Underage drinking can result in health problems and injuries affecting the teenagers that drink, as well as the people around them.
In the UK research shows that by the time they reach 15, over eight out of ten Britons have already tried alcohol. In Australia about 90 percent of teenagers older than 14 have tried alcohol at least once, while about 50 percent of the population above the age of 14 is estimated to be drinking alcohol at least once a week.
According to studies, the development of the human brain continues into a person's early twenties. When the brain is exposed to alcohol while it is developing this can cause long-lasting harm on intellectual capabilities and may make alcohol addiction more likely. The risk of alcohol dependence later in life is reduced by 14 percent for each year that the age when drinking starts is delayed. The number of people dying from liver disease has also increased, which is believed to be a result of more people starting to drink at an earlier age.
Car crashes are one of the main risks related to underage drinking. The driving skills of young people are more likely to be affected by alcohol. The likelihood of a fatal crash for drinking drivers aged between 16 and 20 is twice as high as the likelihood for drinking drivers aged 21 or above. According to the US Surgeon General, around 1,900 people aged below 21 die every year as a result of car crashes that involve underage drinking.
Alcohol consumption affects conditions like stress and depression, contributing to 300 suicides among US teenagers every year. High-school students who drink are two times as likely to have seriously considered a suicide attempt as compared to nondrinkers. High-school students, who are prone to excessive use of alcohol, or binge drinking, are four times as likely to have attempted suicide as compared to nondrinkers.
Sexual behavior is also affected by alcohol consumption, which can have negative consequences for teenagers. Sexual activity among drinking teenagers is likely to be higher than among teenagers who do not drink. Adolescents who drink are also more likely to have sex with someone they do not know or fail to use birth control and engage in other risky sexual activities.Use of alcohol can also lead to risky situations including fighting or brawling, drowning and self-harm, while young people are more likely to take risks when they drink. When people combine alcohol and drugs they are likely to take more risks.
Alcohol consumption can also lead to a drug overdose.Alcohol plays an important role in antisocial behavior, violence and crime. According to a Home Office survey, 18 percent of young people aged 12-13 in the UK and 28 percent of those aged 14-15 caused damage while drinking. In addition, 10 percent of young people aged 15-15 said that they had got in trouble with the police as a result of drinking.Parents are believed to play a key role in preventing teenagers from drinking at an early age.
For teenagers and for young people aged below 15 in particular, the safest level of drinking is no drinking. Parents can provide adult supervision and encourage the sensible consumption of alcohol in order to minimise the risks for older teenagers who drink. Parents should also demonstrate sensible drinking habits because, according to studies, they are the most influential role model for their children.Factors that help make alcohol abuse among young people less likely also include educational programs in schools on alcohol, a healthy lifestyle and development of personal, academic, social and employment skills. Restricted alcohol advertising can also help, while scare tactics can actually result in an increase in alcohol use among young people and should be avoided.
