Alcohol and Teen Drinking

Ethanol is also known as grain alcohol and it is a colorless, volatile liquid with a strong smell formed by the fermentation of sugars.
Alcohol is probably the world's oldest known drug. Alcohol industry is a big business in today's society and the consumption and abuse of alcohol have become a major public health problem. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. Doctors are particularly worried about an apparent increase in the number of teenagers who are drinking heavily.

• age
• gender
• physical condition
• amount of food eaten
• other drugs or medicines taken

Chronic drinking can lead to addiction to alcohol and to additional neurological problems. Typical withdrowal symptoms in someone who is addicted to it are shaking, sleep problems and nausea.

Incidence and history of alcohol use

In 1997, Americans drank an average of 2 gallons (7.57 liters) of alcohol per person. This translates roughly into one six-pack of beer, two glasses of wine and three or four mixed drinks per week. About 35 percent of adults don't consume alcohol, so the numbers are actually higher for those who do. Alcohol is an amazingly popular social phenomenon. Alcoholic beverages have been widely consumed since prehistoric times by people around the world. It was being used as a component of the standard diet, for hygienic or medical reasons, for their relaxant and euphoric effects, for recreational purposes, for artistic inspiration, as aphrodisiacs, and for other reasons. 

Structure of alcohol

Ethanol, the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, is almost always produced by a process called fermentation. Fermentation is in fact the metabolism of carbohydrates by certain species of yeast in the absence of oxygen. Alcoholic beverages with a concentration of more than 50% ethanol by volume are extremely flammable liquids and easily ignited. Flavoring ethanol has also become a sort of ritual! Ethanol is a moderately good solvent for many fat substances and essential oils, and thus facilitates the inclusion of several coloring, flavoring, and aromatic compounds to alcoholic beverages, especially to distilled ones.
Sometimes the flavor is obtained by allowing the beverage to stand for months or years in barrels made of special wood.

Symptoms of alcohol usage

In low doses, alcohol produces:

• a relaxing effect
• reduces tension
• lowers inhibitions
• impairs concentration
• slows reflexes
• impairs reaction time
• reduces coordination

In medium doses, alcohol produces:

• slur speech
• cause drowsiness
• alter emotions

In high doses, alcohol produces:

• vomiting
• breathing difficulties
• unconsciousness
• coma

Effects of Alcohol on the Nervous System

As we already said, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it acts at many sites, including the reticular formation, spinal cord, cerebellum and cerebral cortex, and on many neurotransmitter systems. Because of its lipo-solubility properties, alcohol gets into the bloodstream very easily and also crosses the blood brain barrier. Some of the neurochemical effects of alcohol are:

• Increased turnover of norepinephrine and dopamine, important neurotransmitters in the brain
• Decreased transmission in acetylcholine systems
• Increased transmission in GABA systems
• Increased production of beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus

 Chronic alcohol use can:

• Damage the frontal lobes of the brain
• Cause an overall reduction in brain size and increase in the size of the ventricles
• Lead to alcoholism and result in tolerance to the effects of alcohol and variety of health problems
• Cause a vitamin deficiency. Because the digestion system of alcoholics is unable to absorb vitamin B-1, a syndrome known as "Wernicke's Encephalopathy" may develop.
• Further deficiencies of thiamine can lead to "Korsakoff's Syndrome." This disorder is characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation.

Alcoholism

It could be very difficult to describe the real meaning of the word alcoholism. Some adults seem to be able to enjoy alcohol occasionally with no problems while others become alcoholics. An alcoholic is someone whose mind and body crave alcohol, who has little control over his or her drinking and can't stop drinking without help. It is proven that a person who starts drinking alcohol at a young age is more likely to become an alcoholic. It often gets worse with years because the person may start experiencing health problems related to drinking.

Teen drinking problem

Teen drinking also became very common . Alcohol is by far, the most abused drug among teenagers. Because the body changes as we grow, the ability to cope with alcohol also changes all the time.

Everyone seems to know of someone who can drink booze by the bucket-load but this shouldn't be seen as something to aspire towards. Teens are the most likely group to have their stomachs pumped after excessive alcohol intake. We have to keep in mind that, after all, alcohol is a toxin.

Possible causes of teen drinking

For many teens, drinking is just the thing they do occasionally. Peer pressures encourage drinking. Ads in magazines, on radio, and particularly on TV make drinking seem glamorous and even necessary in order to be happy.
Unlike other form of opioids, alcohol is easy to come by, relatively cheap, and has been the drug of choice for many generations.
Using alcohol can be a way for teens to try to show maturity and independence.   
If a teenager is having anxiety, depression, or confusion, they may use alcohol to manage these feelings.

Other situations that can cause a teenager to develop a drinking problem are:

• other family members with drinking problems
• the divorce of his or her parents
• physical or sexual abuse,
• the death of a parent or sibling

Effects of teen drinking

• Organs in teens which are still not fully developed can literally be poisoned by alcohol
• The biggest danger is that the liver can be damaged. It takes a few days for it to recover and to get back to normal functioning
• After taking great amounts of alcohol the heartbeats can become really irregular and it can even lead to a cardiac arrest
• Breathing can become so shallow or slow that it can stop
• One of the most common ways in which teens die from alcohol is by choking on their own vomit

Devastating facts about teen drinking

• 1 in 5 young drivers involved in fatal automobile crashes had been drinking
• 8 young Americans die each day in alcohol-related automobile crashes
• 10 million regular consumers of alcohol in the U.S. are under 21
• Young people who drink alcohol are more than seven times more likely to use illicit drugs, particularly cocaine
• Devastating fact is that, on average, 13 is the age young people are most likely to begin drinking
• More than two million young people engage in binge drinking
• Those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who don't begin until after age 21
• Teens who experiment with alcohol are virtually certain to continue using it
• The time and place to deal with binge drinking in college is in elementary and high school

Warning signs that your kid may have a problem with alcohol

Warning signs that your kid may have a problem with alcohol are:

• Getting drunk on a regular basis
• Lying about how much alcohol he or she is using
• Believing that alcohol is necessary to have fun
• Having frequent hangovers
• Feeling run-down, depressed, or even suicidal
• Having "blackouts"
• Having problems at school or getting in trouble with the law

Tips for parents

• Get involved with your kids problems
• It is very important to talk to your kid about alcohol, drugs, sex, and other topics important in an adolescent's life
• Try to help your teen develop problem solving and decision making skills
• Encourage participation in healthy and enjoyable activities
• Because drinking and driving are the biggest problem, many parents have an agreement with their teen that if they have been drinking they can call home and parents will come and pick them up
• Set a good example. Don't drink and drive, and don't drink to excess. Be honest about your own drinking.