Effects of drinking alcohol at a young age

Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in many countries.Research also shows that many adolescents start to drink at a very young age.

People who begin drinking alcohol early in life run the risk of developing serious alcohol problems which include alcoholism  later in life. They are  also at greater risk for a variety of adverse consequences, including risky sexual activity and poor performance in school especially for teenagers.

Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns.

Drinking alcohol has brain effects, liver effects and growth and endoctrine effects which can cause death at a short period of time.

Anyone who drinks a lot in a short space of time can suffer alcohol poisoning Just as with adults, drinking alcohol can reduce a child’s mental and physical abilities at the time, affecting judgment and co-ordination – which can lead to mishaps and sometimes accidents and injuries