Alcohol is the most commonly used drug by youth. Besides being the biggest contributor to adolescent deaths (car crashes and suicide), alcohol may directly affect brain development.

Alcohol use continues to be a big problem from early adolescence through young adulthood.  The earlier the onset of alcohol use, the more risk there is of developing a lifetime of alcohol dependence (over 40% at 12 years, compared to 10% at 21 years).  Early alcohol use also is associated with multiple concerns such as poor school performance, employment problems, and more risk taking behaviors (other drug use, sexual related problems, violence).

In addition to the neurological effects of alcohol, there are studies showing other developmental effects of alcohol on a teen-age brain. The brain‘s nerve fibers mature in a process that starts in utero and continues through, and probably beyond, the third decade of life.  The frontal lobe, which is responsible for functions such as planning, organizing, regulating and inhibiting, is the last to develop.  In normal conditions, the nerve connections are still being fine tuned during adolescence. 

Because the adolescent brain is still maturing, it is vulnerable to toxic effects of alcohol and other drugs. Developmental studies show that the cognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents include decreased ability to learn new information and decreased memory skills that continue to decline with more alcohol use. 
That is your brain on booze.

So what should “we” do?

Pediatricians: Screen for and identify alcohol and other substance abuse.  Have resources available for intervention and referral. More importantly, provide educational and emotional support to prevent alcohol misuse.

Parents: Be a good role model.  Parents are the antidotes. Understand that your involvement with your adolescent is very powerful.  Never provide alcohol for your child and be aware of what goes on in your home.  Never allow under-aged drinking in your home.

Adolescents: Love your brain. Protect your frontal lobe and the rest of your brain with smart decisions.

REFERENCE: American Academy of Pediatrics. Policy Statement – Alcohol use by youth and adolescents: a pediatric concern.  Pediatrics.  2010;125 (5): 1078-1087.