As teens, there are a lot of different opportunities for you to achieve in your life. Maybe it's winning that state championship or getting into your dream college or maybe even passing your drivers test. There are so many more opportunities & goals that you can probably think of that you've set for yourself and that's great. However, there are road bumps & outside factors that have the potential to ruin those amazing chances for you.
Have you ever wonder why the legal drinking age across all 50 states is 21? Do you believe it's just a random number the Government put in place or that it's a law just so it could be a law to prevent teens from having "fun"? Well I'm here to tell you that there's a lot more than it just being a random number. Studies have shown that a persons brain does not stop developing until their mid twenties. Therefore, your teenage brain right now is still growing & developing it's capacity to learn, use better judgement and make better decisions. This is a crucial time for your teenage brain because it's preparing you for all the challenges you'll face as an adult.
Just like anything else, your brain is going to work best at a normal, balanced state without anything interfering with it. However, when an individual decides to consume alcohol it slows the brain activity down & harms different areas of the brain. For you teens, what part do you think is most impacted by underage drinking? Here's a hint, it's responsible for your memory and learning. This specific portion of your brain is called the Hippocampus. When this area of the brain is damaged you risk losing any great memories or valuable information you may have and alcohol can induce this even more.
Here's a little challenge for you, can you guess the name of the stage where the most brain damage occurs? I'll give you a hint, it's a name of a popular movie. If you said hangover, then you're correct my friend. During this stage, a tug of war like effect is happening inside the brain. You have one side of the brain saying "I don't want to change how I work" and alcohol on the other side slowing the brain activity down. As the alcohol wears off, it's similar to someone letting go of the rope which then causes cells in the brain to die permanently. Unfortunately, these brain cells that are lost do not grow back and over time can cause holes to form inside the brain. The scary thing about this is that the holes can't be fixed. So, if you think making life choices as a teenager with a developing brain is hard, imagine being an adult with holes in your brain and having to make even bigger life decisions.
The Consequences Are Real
Underage drinking comes with a lot of different consequences as you may know. It not only has a negative affect on the developing brain but also in other areas of your life. Below I have named a few of the consequences that can be a result from underage drinking. Think about each one carefully and imagine how it could alter your future.
Academic failure
STDs
Criminal Behavior
Poor decision making
Bad reputation
Unintended pregnancy
Car accidents
Injuries/death
You probably can list a lot more consequences because there are so many that can come from consuming alcohol as a teen. One consequence I really want to highlight is drinking and driving. Not only can that impact your life but it can affect others as well like; family members and friends. If you've experienced losing a friend in an accident from drunk driving then you know how tough it is not just on you but for their family as well. When I was a junior in high school I lost one of my dear friends to underage drinking and it was a rough experience to endure at such a young age. It made me realize that life can be gone in a blink of an eye because of the choices we make, so just think twice. Don't be afraid to say no or #Refusetouse.
You've Got the Wrong Impression
Expectation; A strong belief that something will happen. Have you ever heard of that word before? Personally I feel like that word is used quite often in a teenagers life. I know when I was growing up there were a ton of expectations that came from my teachers, parents, coaches, and even friends. Maybe you can relate but man oh man did that put some serious pressure on me.
In this crazy life of ours there are expectations everywhere, both positive & negative. If you think about it, what is the expectation you get from buying a new pair of shoes? To look cool, fashionable or maybe to make you run faster. These reasons influence us to buy those really swaggy shoes that we want so bad. Now think about this; when teenagers listen to different music or watch movies that portray drinking in a positive way, do you think they sometimes get the image in their heads that alcohol can be a positive solution for different things? Or that it's okay to underage drink because nothing bad will happen? Even if you don't agree, the answer is yes, they do. It is very easy for media to have an influence on teens where they create these expectations that great things will come from certain things like, drinking. When you hear it coming from your icon or role model you may be influenced even more so just be aware.
Try to be mindful of what influences are around you and what messages they are trying to get across. Don't be afraid to do some research if you have questions.
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