Is teen drinking really unhealthy? Medical science finds indisputably there are many serious health risks associated with teen drinking, which may lead to permanent health damage, even death. If so, continued adult ambivalence toward or rationalization of teen drinking is concerning.
For starters, the UNC School of Medicine's Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies is a national leader in research findings of alcohol-related damage to the teen brain.
Former Duke University researcher Aaron White said, "There is no doubt about it now: there are long-term cognitive consequences to excessive drinking of alcohol during adolescence." He added, "We definitely didn't know five or ten years ago that alcohol affected the teen brain differently. Now there's a sense of urgency."
Even moderate intake of alcohol affects teen function of a variety of brain systems. Said Duke neuropsychologist Scott Swartzwelder, "The brain is changed by early alcohol exposure."
Though once believed to be fully developed by age 2, research now confirms that brain frontal lobes are still maturing until nearly age 25. This developmental immaturity, in part, explains the risky manner in which many teens drink (and act), said Laurence Steinberg of Temple University. One of the nation's leading experts on adolescent behavior and brain biology, he said, "Teens are like a very fast car with a poor brake system."
The American Medical Association Report on Alcohol's Adverse Effects on the Brains of Children, Adolescents and College Students, based upon two decades of comprehensive research on how alcohol affects the brains of youths, notes the brain goes through dynamic change during adolescence. Development and refinement of pathways and connections continue through teen years, and alcohol can seriously damage growth processes.
Short-term or moderate drinking impairs learning and memory far more in youths than adults. Adolescents need only drink half as much alcohol as adults to suffer the same negative effects, though research finds teens typically drink more than older adults when consuming.
Binge drinking, common among teens (and particularly toxic for them), can induce brain damage that appears to involve oxidative changes in the brain similar to aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
During the period in which the brain is maturing, it is particularly vulnerable to alcohol. Using sophisticated brain imaging, a University of California study comparing drinking vs. non-drinking high school students found damaged brain nerve tissue in drinking teens. UC neuroscientist Susan Tapert said, "Key areas of the brain are still under construction during the adolescent years, and are more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol."
The AMA urges strong action to combat this growing epidemic.
"Every year you can postpone the initiation of teen drinking, you decrease the likelihood that person will have alcohol problems for the rest of their life," said Swartzwelder.
As a community placing high value on brain power, adult brain power is needed to responsibly address this serious health threat. That solution won't be found in more ambivalence or rationalization of teen drinking.
Ronald E. Bogle is a retired Superior Court judge and works with the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Teenagers.
