The use of alcohol can take its toll on your troubled teenager’s developing body. During the period of adolescence your teenager’s body is still maturing and a substance such as alcohol can have its own effects on your child’s physical well-being. In surveys conducted, it was found that almost 90% of twelfth grade seniors have actually taken alcohol. And in the two weeks that have passed, one third of these teenagers may have taken in more than five alcoholic beverages in one evening.
Yet, take note that the substance is not even legal until the age of 21. But obviously, this hasn’t stopped a number of teenagers from taking it anyway.
Initial effects of alcohol
At the start of taking in alcohol, your teenager may actually begin to feel even better, he or she may be filled with a confidence that he or she would not normally feel. But these feelings will die down, and sedation or drowsiness will replace them. These are just initial effects of alcohol.
Hazards of overdose
But when a teenager takes in a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time, it may lead to a hazardous overdose. If the adolescent skips a meal and then goes out drinking, this too can be particularly hazardous. You must educate your child that once he or she notices that a companion passes out from drinking, this isn’t just something to laugh about like he or she may see in movies or on TV.
Once a person is unconscious their own vomit may actually choke them. Educate your teen that while moderate alcohol intake may lead to nausea and headaches from hangovers, excessive alcohol intake affects one’s thinking—memory, problem solving abilities, concentration, and attention span. Your teen should know exactly how his or her body is being affected by the intake of this substance.
He or she may suffer from vitamin deficiencies, appetite loss, skin rashes/irritations, and damage to the liver, heart, or central nervous system, as well as sexual impotence and stomach illnesses.
Females may actually become intoxicated faster than males. Even after taking in a similar dose of alcohol, the alcohol level in a female’s blood stream can elevate to almost 30 percent greater than that of a male’s. Females may be more exposed to the previously mentioned effects of alcohol than males.
A teenager’s brain has not fully developed until he/she reaches 20. This makes it all the more susceptible to alcohol’s harmful effects on the body. If alcohol is combined with another downer, the effects can be severely harmful and even fatal if more than two downers are taken simultaneously.
