Research indicates that the human brain continues to develop into a person’s early 20’s, and that exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities and may increase the likelihood of alcohol addiction.
The age when drinking starts affects future drinking problems. For each year that the start of drinking is delayed, the risk of later alcohol dependence is reduced by 14 percent
Binge Drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08% or above. This usually happens when men consume 5 or more drinks and women consume 4 or more drinks within 2 hours.
About 90% of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the U. S. is in the form of binge drinking.
The proportion of drinkers that binge is the highest in the 18-20 year old group (51%)
Drinking too much alcohol too fast can stop your heart. If someone passes out from drinking, don’t let them sleep it off. Turn them on their side, call 9-1-1, and stay with them. Don’t worry about getting in trouble, be the one that does something.
