Alcohol for teenagers extra harmful

Teens are curious. Logically. About 72 percent has already had a glass of alcohol by the age of sixteen. Now you may think 'oh well, one glass should be possible, right? But when young people really start drinking, it usually doesn't stop at one glass.

This is less innocent if you know that 42 percent of 16-year-olds drank 5 glasses of alcohol or more in one day at least once in the past month. And that's not wrong. In comparison, if an adult man drinks the same amount in one day, this is called 'binge drinking'. And there are serious risks associated with binge drinking. Think of kidney failure, alcohol poisoning, heart failure and damage to the stomach and esophagus.

gray vs. white

Apart from these possible unpleasant consequences, the development of teenage brains does not benefit from drinking alcohol. That's how it works: your brain develops and matures until you are twenty. The gray matter (cell bodies of your brain cells) and the white matter (connections between the brain cells) increase or decrease in your teenage years. Gray diminishes, allowing white to shine. The result is faster communication between the brain cells, allowing you to perform tasks more efficiently and therefore faster.

Please do not disturb

Research shows that alcohol disrupts the maturation of the brain. The gray matter decreases faster and the white matter increases more slowly. And young people notice this in their concentration and memory, for example. You understand, it is therefore important to postpone drinking alcohol as long as possible. The tips below can help you guide your child in this. Source: quest.nl.