5.+Behavioral+Effects


 * ﻿ Behavioural Effects of Alcohol on Adolescents **

**Background: **
In many societies, teenage alcohol use is a common occurrence. For many teens, it is nothing more than healthy, psychological experimentation (DeWit et al., 2000) Many teen drinkers also reduce their consumption of alcohol in early adulthood, in order to meet adult expectations and obligations, such as marriage, parenthood, employment, etc. (DeWit et al., 2000). For significant numbers of teens, however, alcohol use does lead to problems.

Underage alcohol use is a persistent problem with serious health and safety issues (National Institutes of Health, 2007). In spite of underage drinking laws and prevention programs, national surveys indicate that rates of underage alcohol consumption over the past decade are still at very high levels (National Institutes of Health, 2007). Alcohol remains the drug of choice for most of America’s teenagers, and is used by more young people than illicit drugs or tobacco (National Institutes of Health, 2007).

**Some Statistics: **
The 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that there are 11 million underage drinkers in the United States. Underage drinking is a leading cause of death from injuries, which are the main cause of death for people under 21 (National Institutes of Health, 2007). Every year, about 5,000 teenagers die from causes related to underage drinking. These deaths include about 1,600 homicides and 300 suicides (National Institutes of Health, 2007).

Alcohol also plays a significant role in risky sexual behaviour, and physical and sexual assault. Bonomo et al. (2001) performed a study of 16 and 17 year olds in the state of Victoria, Australia. 75% of participants drank alcohol; 17% of drinkers reported alcohol-related violence (accidents or injuries) and 15% reported problems relating to sex under the influence of alcohol (having sex and later regretting it or having unsafe sex) in the previous 12 months (Bonomo et al., 2001). Another study examines the prevalence of teenage alcohol use in a diverse sample of 4390 American high school seniors and dropouts (Ellickson et al., 1996). The results show that “by grade 12, nearly 70% of these teenagers have exhibited some form of alcohol misuse with the past year. Two-thirds have engaged in high-risk drinking and over 50% have experienced one or more alcohol-related problems (Ellickson et al., 1996).

**Mood Changes: **
Alcohol most noticeably has its effect on mood changes. Mood changes due to alcohol can include euphoria, reduced anxieties, and reduced inhibitions. The more alcohol someone drinks, or the higher the BAC (blood alcohol content), the more pronounced the effects (Lomp, K. Pharmacology lecture, November 9th, 2010). Teenage drinking can lead to dangerous behaviour, in large part because of “alcohol myopia” (Hart et al, 2008). According to our textbook, “After drinking, people tend to focus more on the here and now and to pay less attention to peripheral people and activities, and to long-term consequences” (Hart et al, 2008). This is why people behave recklessly when they’ve been drinking – they’re doing what they want in the moment, and not weighing the consequences of their actions.

Harm Potential:
Bottom line, alcohol abuse is harmful to teens. Besides the factors already discussed, heavy episodic or binge drinking impairs study habits and slows the development of transitional skills one needs for adulthood (Zeigler et al., 2004). As well, alcohol can contribute to lack of REM sleep, a reduced immune system, and hangovers, which can affect school performance (K. Lomp, Pharmacology Course Lecture, November 9).

**This table outlines relative BAC and the corresponding behavioral effects.**

 * ======**Percent **======

**BAC **
|| ======**Behavioural Effects **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.05 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lowered alertness, usually good feeling, release of inhibitions, impaired judgment. **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.10 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Slower reaction times and impaired motor function, less caution **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.15 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Large, consistent increases in reaction time **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.20 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marked depression in sensory and motor capability, intoxication **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.25 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Severe motor disturbance, staggering, sensory perceptions, great impairment **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.30 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stuporous but conscious - no comprehension of what's going on **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.35 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Surgical anesthesia; about LD1, minimal level causing death **====== ||
 * ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.40 **====== || ======**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About LD50 **====== ||

**This video shows some of the startling behavioral effects of excessive teen drinking**.
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">fmedia type="youtube" key="3jftfU30xJg?fs=1" height="385" width="640"