My name is Nicole Castro and I wanted to inform JSEC students about the dangers of drinking alcohol.  Drinking alcohol as a teenager or even as a child is never good for you. A teens body can’t handle alcohol the same way that an adults body does. It’s not healthy to drink alcohol at all as it does cause liver damage. It’s very dangerous to do anything while drunk or intoxicated in any way. In some cases, people do die from over-intoxication and driving after drinking a lot at the club or with some friends at their house.

You must know your limits while drinking if you do decide to. Drinking from a young age can cause you to get drunk faster as you get older and will cause you to become addicted to alcohol if drunk a lot on a regular basis. There aren’t any positive things to say when talking about teen alcohol use. There are a lot more negatives than positives. Yes, maybe drinking alcohol is an ‘percieved’ to be an enjoyable thing to do since it does sort of put you in a state that to stop thinking about things that have been bothering you and helps you relax in ways.  This is a misconception because alcohol is a poison that is consumed and can cause serious health conditions such as liver/kidney damage along with cirrhosis.  Another negative effect of drinking is the fact that it can cause some brain damage to the person is drinking.

Some examples of brain damage caused by drinking alcohol are things such as, memory issues, coordination problems and impaired movement while drunk. Drinking at a young age can make these things worse as life goes on for you. You would not have a high alcohol tolerance as you get older if you drink a lot at a young age. If you ever decide to drink alcohol with your friends then just be careful when it comes to how much you drink.

When it comes to age stats, almost 20% of people who drink are under the legal drinking age. Less than 1% are about 12 years old, 16% are about 16 years old and about 46% are 20 years old or older. Also the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse states that about 80% of high school students have tried alcohol in their lifetime.

Drinking alcohol can affect your life in many ways, such as, if you drink too much then it can cause changes in your brain which is why when you drink a lot you become disoriented and your speech starts to slur. It slows you down since it can be considered a depressant. It’s a depressant due to the fact that it slows and calms the central nervous system.

You may need to seek help if you find yourself becoming addicted to alcohol. If you are addicted to alcohol as an adult, it can have an effect your personal life since not everyone wants to deal with someone who gets stuck very easily. Everyone acts different when they are drunk, some are nice and quiet, some get aggressive and hostile, and some become friendly and talkative. If you get aggressive while drunk and you are in a relationship it is very possible that you will lose the people you are with because of the way you act when you are drunk.

Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea if teens start drinking at a young age because of the effects it causes to their body. Although it depends on the person in question, if they decide to drink and no one can convince them not to then that’s on them.

In conclusion, teen alcohol use is not advised.   It has more negative effects than positive effects. It can cause brain and liver damage if you drink too much. It’s just not a good idea to do at a young age.   Drinking alcohol is a life decision, and my hope is that we all as teens make this decision wisely and opt not to drink during our teen years.