What Difference Does A Drink Make?

The brain isn’t fully developed until a person is around 25 years old. This is why young people are often more likely to experience the unhealthy effects and safety concerns of using alcohol. Alcohol can affect people, especially young people, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Physically, alcohol can make a person dizzy, give them blurred vision, and even make someone vomit if they drink too much. Alcohol poisoning, when a person drinks more alcohol than their body can break down, can even cause death.  Alcohol can be especially dangerous if it is mixed with other drugs.

Mentally, alcohol can lead a person to make unhealthy choices, and do things they might not do when they are sober. Since young people are already in the stage of learning how to make decisions, alcohol can cause further challenges for them. For example, driving while drinking or under the influence of alcohol is dangerous and can lead to legal concerns and physical injuries or even death of the driver, their passengers, or others on the road. Sometimes people make sexual decisions while they are using alcohol, that are different than what they would do while sober; like not using a condom.

Emotionally, alcohol can increase a person’s feelings and cause extreme sadness or intense anger. Sometimes people will feel their feelings in different and new ways while drinking, which also affects their mental health and decision making.

While the legal age to drink alcohol varies across the world and within countries, it’s important to know that even if it is legal for young people to drink in your area, there can still be negative consequences. While not drinking is the best way to avoid such risks, if young people choose to drink, it is important for them to know how to do it in a safer way.  Encourage them to be mindful of the amount of alcohol they drink; more than one drink an hour can be dangerous, and mixing different types of alcohol, or alcohol with other substances can lead to alcohol poisoning and/or overdose. Make sure that they know to drink a lot of water, eat food, and stay with people they know well and trust if they are drinking. In addition, talk to them about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.

Finally, have discussions about your family values as related to alcohol and other substances. Encourage your children to reach out to you if they are ever in a situation that feels unsafe. Make a plan with your child to contact you if they are worried about their safety, need a ride home, or think they might have had too much to drink. It is important to remember that if your child reaches out to you because they are in a situation involving alcohol or other substances, they trust you and need your guidance and support.  Try not to judge or scold them, offering them a space to talk about what happened, and how they can make a better choice in the future.  Keeping this line of communication open will help keep them safe in the future and allow you to talk with your young person about your expectations, but also listen to their feelings. Have discussions about peer pressure, decision making, and communication. These life skills will help them navigate situations regarding alcohol, other substances, and health related situations throughout their lives.