Category: Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholic hepatitis is a common condition among heavy drinkers, with approximately 20% developing fatty liver, the first stage of the disease. About 10% to 15% of heavy drinkers reach cirrhosis, the final stage of alcoholic hepatitis. However, a common undiagnosed or misdiagnosed condition, some still have questions about alcoholic hepatitis. Let’s explore some of the most frequently asked questions about this condition. 

1. What is Alcoholic Hepatitis?

Alcoholic hepatitis is a liver disease caused by alcohol consumption. The liver can tolerate up to a certain amount of alcohol and regenerate damaged cells and tissues. When alcohol consumption exceeds the liver’s limits for long periods, the liver becomes inflamed, and scars accumulate in the damaged areas, disrupting normal function and causing symptoms in other organs. 

Alcoholic hepatitis has three stages, each more severe than the last:

• Stage 1 – Alcoholic fatty liver disease: the liver suffers inflammation and enlarges, accumulating fatty tissue. The liver can become fatty within a few days of heavy drinking and is reversible if the person stops drinking. Fatty liver has no symptoms.
• Stage 2 – Alcoholic hepatitis: after years of alcohol abuse (generally five or more), alcoholic hepatitis develops. Symptoms appear, but there’s still time to prevent further damage if the person stops drinking. It can be life-threatening in severe cases.
• Stage 3 – Cirrhosis: the final and most severe stage with a higher potential to be lethal. The scarring has become so extensive that liver failure is likely, and chances of survival may be around 50% in 5 years. Abstinence is necessary to prevent further damage and improve outcomes.

2. What are the Symptoms of Alcoholic Hepatitis?

One of the biggest issues with alcoholic hepatitis is that it can remain asymptomatic for years before the illness advances. Mostly, people who don’t get annual health checks will only recognize alcoholic hepatitis when it reaches the end of stage two and the beginning of cirrhosis.

The most common signs and symptoms of hepatitis include:

• Yellowing of the skin, teeth, and white of the eyes (jaundice)
• Abdominal inflammation and pain
• Fatigue and overall weakness
• Appetite loss and subsequent weight loss and unexplained malnourishment
• Nausea and vomiting
• Built-up fluids in the abdomen
• Fever
• Light-colored feces

As the condition worsens, most people will also experience the following:

• High fever.
• Severe feelings of weakness and fatigue
• Faster-than-normal heart rate
• Thrombocytopenia (frequent bruises and bleeding)
• Confusion and cognitive deterioration (hepatic encephalopathy)
• Severe liver scarring
• Higher likelihood of tumor formation and development of liver cancer

3. How is Alcoholic Hepatitis Diagnosed?

Because alcoholic hepatitis shares symptoms with other diseases, sometimes it remains undiagnosed. However, there are a series of tests that can help diagnose alcoholic hepatitis:

• Blood tests determine whether there are infections, cirrhosis, thrombocytopenia, and other symptoms.
• Abdominal imaging, especially ultrasound, computer tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, especially in the upper right abdomen section.
• Liver function tests (LFTs). Specific blood tests measure levels of proteins, enzymes, and bilirubin. LFTs help determine the scope of liver damage.
• Liver biopsy. A biopsy is extracting a small tissue sample to perform tests and determine the extent of organ damage. A biopsy may be necessary if other tests have been inconclusive.
• Endoscopy in the esophagus to determine whether varices have formed. Varices are an advanced symptom that may lead to internal bleeding, a life-threatening condition.

Tests can help determine whether a patient has alcoholic hepatitis, some other form of hepatitis, or both. It can also help determine the extent of the damage for treatment planning. 

4. What are the Treatment Options for Alcoholic Hepatitis?

There are various treatment alternatives for alcoholic hepatitis:

• Abstinence. Alcohol abstinence is the number one factor that helps patients prevent further damage and potentially regenerate at least some of the damaged tissue (in cases without extensive scarring). Alcohol rehabilitation services may be necessary.
• Nutritional support for malnourishment. Alcoholic hepatitis patients are often malnourished due to a diminished appetite caused by alcohol consumption. A nutritionist can help them identify deficiencies and provide advice to compensate for them.
• Short-term steroid use in severe cases. Although controversial due to potential side effects, short-term steroid use can increase survival rates in severe cases.
• Liver transplants. Transplants are partial or total replacements of the patient’s organ with liver tissue from a donor. Transplants are reserved for severe cases where medical therapy is no longer effective.

Treatment for alcoholic hepatitis should be accompanied by lifestyle changes on the patient’s side, including a commitment to proper long-term nutrition and regular exercise. It’s essential to seek medical treatment as soon as possible when symptoms appear. An early diagnosis when the disease has not yet advanced to the later stages can help improve outcomes and quality of life.

5. How Can Alcoholic Hepatitis Be Prevented? Can It Be Cured?

Alcohol reduction or abstinence combined with improvements in overall nutrition is the best way to prevent alcoholic hepatitis. 

As part of treatment for ongoing alcoholic hepatitis, abstinence, and good nutrition help alleviate symptoms and prevent further damage. 

At the fatty liver stage, several weeks of sobriety improve the condition. At the alcoholic hepatitis stage, permanent abstinence is recommended and will lead to a gradual recovery from symptoms. At the cirrhosis stage, scarring is generally irreversible, but quitting alcohol helps prevent further scarring and damage.

Whether it can be cured depends on how advanced it has become. At early stages, it can be reversed, but at later stages, it may become a chronic illness that can only be managed rather than cured.

Treating Alcoholism Helps Prevent Alcoholic Hepatitis

It usually takes multiple years of regular alcohol abuse for alcoholic hepatitis to develop. Still, one of the problems is that the first stage of the disease, fatty liver, shows no symptoms. Treating alcoholism early is the best way to prevent alcoholic hepatitis. 

Don’t wait until alcoholic hepatitis has taken hold. Seeking treatment early is the best way to prevent alcoholic hepatitis and create healthier habits that can last a lifetime. If you or someone you love is struggling with alcohol abuse, consider seeking help from an addiction specialist to prevent consequences like alcoholic hepatitis. 

The fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been around since 1935. During its 78-year history, some things have changed, and others have stayed the same. The AA organization has received its fair share of criticisms for various reasons. One of the most common is its perceived “religiousness.”

This article will explore AA’s relationship with religion and how this relationship has evolved over the years to become more “spiritually-minded” than religious. 

Understanding AA’s Religious Roots

The first AA fellowship was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson (“Bill W.”) and Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith (“Dr. Bob”) in Akron, Ohio, USA. They were members of a fundamentalist Protestant Christian movement, the Oxford Group. Some of the fundamental beliefs of the Oxford Group were absolute surrender to the Holy Spirit, purity, love, honesty, and unselfishness.

They had strong religious beliefs – a key part of their approach to sobriety. 

The original “Alcoholics Anonymous” book, also known as “The Big Book,” was published in 1939 and contained the initial 12 Steps. The Steps remain at the core of AA to this day and have been adapted to other substances, like narcotics.

Of these original 12 Steps, Step 2 introduces the idea of a “power greater than ourselves” capable of returning us to sanity after falling into alcoholism.

Step 3 is the first to directly mention God “as we understood Him,” indicating that even in its original Christian form, the Steps allowed for some flexibility on the member’s part to input what they imagine to be their God or equivalent.

Steps 5, 6, 7, and 11 also directly mentioned God. Step 12 is focused on a “spiritual awakening.”

Steering from religiousness to spirituality

Over time, AA’s religious roots have caused some controversy, with some people refusing to participate in AA meetings for considering the group religious or going as far as to call it a “cult.”

In practice, however, AA meetings are inclusive to all kinds of people from all walks of life. AA members and speakers are open to all religions, including Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Native American faith traditions, atheism, and agnosticism. It is not a core AA belief to pressure people into understanding the term “God” in the Protestant Christian context of its founders.

Even in their original, more explicitly religious form, the Steps clearly state that each attendee can understand God in their way, contrary to the belief that AA forces anyone to conform to the Christian God.

The word “God” remains in the 12 Steps the official AA website provides. However, some groups prefer providing non-religious support and have removed it from their Steps to offer a secular alternative.

Other practices, like reciting the Lord’s Prayer at the end of meetings, have slowly faded in all but the explicitly religious AA groups. And even in groups who still recite it, people are free not to participate if they wish.

Do Scientists Consider AA To Be “Religious”?

Finally, the opinion of experts is essential, too. On that note, a recent review categorically determined that dismissing AA as “religious” is a mistake.

AA also provides the added benefit of being free and available long-term for the communities around it. Denying the documented benefits of AA as a significantly valuable part of addiction treatment due to its perceived “religiousness” is contrary to decades worth of evidence.

Can AA’s spirituality drive some people away?

Even if AA’s concepts have become more spiritual than religious over time, the spiritual emphasis still resonates the most with people who already are religious or deeply spiritual before joining. Not religious or spiritual people may find it hard to relate to the Steps if they’re not used to engaging with terms like “Higher Power.” 

If you want support groups, don’t let AA’s spirituality drive you away. AA members should not force others to share religious beliefs to participate in meetings. You will be welcomed regardless of religion, origin, background, race, or any other part of you.

Additionally, there are agnostic and atheistic AA groups.

Ultimately, Is AA “Religious”?

AA has clear Protestant Christian roots and does mention God in its 12 Steps. However, the Steps still clarify that every member can understand “God” in their own way.

Over time, the explicitly religious overtones have faded from many AA groups (though they still exist in some). AA has remained an all-inclusive mutual-help support structure for many recovering alcoholics.

Furthermore, there’s scientific evidence that suggests AA meetings can have a positive effect on recovery, especially when combined with other forms of treatment. Don’t overlook AA for being “religious,” or you may miss out on a precious resource for your recovery.

Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a somewhat common condition among individuals recovering from alcohol abuse. The condition, which causes unpleasant symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, is most often seen among people who abruptly stop drinking. Although, for the most part, this is a passing cluster of symptoms, alcoholic ketoacidosis can pose great danger for certain individuals if not appropriately addressed. Let’s explore everything we know about this complication. 

What Is Alcoholic Ketoacidosis?

Alcoholic ketoacidosis, alcoholic ketosis, alcoholic acidosis, or AKA, is a condition some people struggling with alcoholism experience, but non-alcoholics may also suffer it when binge drinking. AKA is rare in non-alcoholics, however.

It’s most common in alcoholics between 20 and 60 years old but can affect people of all ages, alcoholics or not. It causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, tachycardia, tachypnea, dehydration, and agitation. 

It’s unclear how common it is, but one study on 1,500 alcoholic Japanese men determined that 34% suffered from it within 14 days of their last drink. Another study estimates that less than 10% of alcoholics will experience AKA.

What Causes Alcoholic Ketoacidosis?

AKA is most common in people struggling with alcoholism who also suffer from liver disease and stop drinking suddenly. Dehydrated people who haven’t eaten in 1-3 days are also vulnerable to AKA. The dehydration may be caused by vomiting from excessive drinking and lack of food.

Other alcohol withdrawal symptoms may also prevent you from eating, which may lead to malnourishment. As a result, your body may start producing ketones to preserve energy. Ketones are chemicals your body defaults to when you’re not getting enough nutrients from food.

Your body will eventually produce excess ketones if you haven’t eaten much due to excessive drinking. Excess ketones increase acidic levels in your body and can lead to severe metabolic acidosis, which may lead to potentially lethal conditions.

How Fast Can Alcoholic Ketoacidosis Develop?

The time it takes to appear after the last drinking binge varies depending on how malnourished you are, the amount of alcohol taken, and your overall health status. It can appear as soon as one day after the last drink.

Can Alcoholic Ketoacidosis Be Fatal?

If not treated in time, AKA can lead to potentially deadly complications related to an irregular heartbeat. Elevated beta-hydroxybutyric acid, alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and gastrointestinal bleeding associated with AKA may also lead to death.

Common Symptoms Of Alcoholic Ketoacidosis

One of the most significant issues with AKA is that its symptoms can overlap with other conditions, such as diabetic ketoacidosis, uremia, and even methanol poisoning. Symptoms can include:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Low blood pressure
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat
• Rapid breathing and short breath
• Severe dehydration
• Altered mental state

In addition, AKA can lead to complications such as:

• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Psychosis
• Coma
• Pancreatitis
• Pneumonia
• Encephalopathy

Treatment For Alcoholic Ketoacidosis

If you suffer from alcoholic ketoacidosis symptoms, you must go to an emergency room as soon as possible. Doctors and nurses will monitor vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing patterns. They may also monitor electrolytes to re-establish healthy values. 

The priority will be to prevent alcohol withdrawal, get you hydrated again via intravenous fluids, and provide nutritional support with thiamine, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. You may also receive intravenous benzodiazepines if you’re likely to suffer seizures from alcohol withdrawal.

If doctors determine that you need ongoing care, they may move you to the ICU. Complications may occur, but they happen in less than 20% of cases. Long-term recovery from AKA improves if you also recover from alcoholism after suffering from it.

The length of your stay depends on the severity of your case, how long it takes to get your body regulated again, and whether you suffer complications.

Find Treatment For Alcoholism

If you or someone you know is dealing with alcohol abuse, you must seek help. The most common treatments for alcoholism include:

• Inpatient or residential treatment: Inpatient treatment involves staying at a rehab facility for several days, or even weeks or months, where care is available to you at all times. It provides a higher level of support and structure but also the highest investment of time by people struggling with addiction. If you are dedicated to getting sober and surrounded by professionals who want the best for you, inpatient treatment can change your life.
• Outpatient treatment: This type of treatment is less time and energy-intensive than inpatient treatment and may be prescribed after a period of inpatient treatment. The premise for these programs, as well as the care provided and activities performed (like behavioral therapy), are similar to inpatient programs. However, you can spend the nights at home, study, and even work, attending sessions in the time available.
• Partial hospitalization programs: Also less intensive than inpatient programs but slightly more intensive than outpatient programs. You still spend the night in the facility’s premises and engage in daily activities, but you can spend more time outside the premises during the evenings and weekends.

The treatment you receive depends on your specific needs and the severity of your case. Regardless of the exact program you go through, what’s important is that it will give you the tools you need to overcome addiction and avoid conditions such as alcoholic ketoacidosis.

How do you help an alcoholic who doesn’t want help? That’s a challenge that many face when their loved ones succumb to alcoholism. It’s a challenging situation for everyone involved. Still, there are several things you can do to provide a positive environment that encourages seeking help.

7 Ways To Help An Alcoholic Who Refuses Help

If you’ve ever tried to help someone who is an alcoholic and they just won’t listen to what you have to say, then you might feel like giving up. Even those closest to the person suffering from alcoholism can’t get through. That said, you can still do things to help the alcoholic in your life. Below are seven approaches I’ve found beneficial when attempting to help a loved one who suffers from addiction.

1. Educate Yourself

When you speak with your struggling loved one, they should feel like you have some basis for what you’re saying. Your comments shouldn’t come off as ignorant or lacking in confidence.

The very first thing you should explore is the nature of addiction. Explore reliable sources explaining that addiction is not exactly a “choice,” as many believe. It’s a complex mental illness influenced by various factors like genes, exposure to alcoholism from a young age, social environment, and more.

Awareness of what alcoholism and addiction are in general will help you approach the conversation from a place of compassion and love.

2. Be Patient And Empathetic

As we mentioned above, love and empathy should be the primary emotions you transmit to a loved one who refuses to get help. Despite their denial, they are at least partially aware of how alcoholism affects their life and the life of their loved ones like you.

It’s important not to add to their feelings of shame, which may compound every time they relapse or can’t stay sober for long. To avoid making them feel further ashamed and embarrassed, try to make them feel heard and loved. You can try the following:

• Intently listen when they speak – don’t interrupt them
• Be curious about their feelings
• Avoid judging them harshly for bad behavior
• Imagine how they feel before giving your opinion
• Talk about how their actions make you feel

3. Don’t Be Controlling

Alcoholism is not a rational act that people can be talked out of. If it were that easy, far fewer people would be recovering alcoholics. Instead, it’s a complex illness that drives people to consume something that clouds their judgment.

Unfortunately, the decision to seek treatment and make an effort to get better must come from your loved one. 

Trying to manage and control their behavior will not yield positive results. What you can do is provide support and a positive environment where they can safely decide to get help.

4. Don’t Start Arguments Or Lectures

Similar to the last point: recovering alcoholics are not being logical. As a result, lecturing them on how their actions are wrong would likely make them feel isolated and ashamed, which is the last thing you want to encourage.

It may also be hard to balance “don’t lecture them” with “don’t enable them by not pointing out any negative behavior.” There’s a middle ground where you are not starting unneeded arguments but also holding them accountable for their behavior when needed.

5. Don’t Enable Their Alcoholism

Being supportive doesn’t mean you have to let them engage in negative behavior that only deepens their addiction – basically enabling them. These are the common signs you are enabling an alcoholic:

• Ignoring or downplaying the seriousness of their addiction
• Covering up their behavior
• Taking over their responsibilities, which they neglect due to their alcoholism
• Financing them when you know they’ll use them to buy alcohol

To stop enabling them, consider the following:

• Set clear boundaries for appropriate and inappropriate behaviors
• Be ready to support them when they take steps to recover
• Don’t make excuses for their behaviors, cover up their behaviors, or take over for the responsibilities they neglect
• Don’t shield them from the personal or legal consequences of their actions

6. Stage an Intervention

Perhaps the most powerful tool you have to help an alcoholic who refuses treatment is an intervention. Ideally, you should consider speaking with an addiction specialist or an interventionist to help you arrange the meeting. 

During an intervention, close friends and family members come together to express their worries about someone’s substance abuse. During this meeting, the idea is to get the person to agree to seek some form of treatment, whether checking into rehab, attending AA meetings, or speaking with a therapist. 

7. Consider Legal Actions

As a last resource, you can consider legal actions. Family members can sometimes seek legal action, particularly for under-aged individuals. Many parents can force minor children (under 18) to check into rehab. Some states also have laws that allow involuntary commitment after the age of 18. While forcing someone into rehab isn’t always effective, in some cases, it might be the push someone needs to get help. 

Helping a Loved One Who Refuses Treatment

When a loved one refuses help for their alcoholism, it’ll always be challenging for everyone involved. 

Only they can ultimately decide to get help, and it’s challenging to feel impotent on the sidelines. What we can do is create an environment that encourages seeking help by being empathetic but not going so far as to enable their behavior.

Over time, they may conclude that they need help. And when that moment comes, you’ll be there to support them.

Sponsorships are an important part of the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery method. Sponsors are essentially people with personal experience in the AA method who can guide less experienced recovering alcoholics.

AA sponsors are not certified behavioral therapists and do not provide diagnostics, treatment, or medication. They provide ‌gentle guidance on the path to sobriety, offering a compassionate, more experienced perspective on the struggles recovering alcoholics face.

In this article, we’ll describe what AA sponsors are, who’s qualified to be a sponsor, and a few tips to be a better sponsor.

Tips To Be An Effective AA Sponsor

You have been chosen to be an AA sponsor as part of your journey to stay sober. These are some tips and advice to help you have a more successful experience as an AA sponsor.

1. Stay Sober

This is obvious, but one of the core responsibilities of an AA sponsor is to lead by example. How? By staying sober and faithful to the AA teachings. If you relapse while acting as a sponsor, you should let your sponsee(s) know and focus on recovering your sobriety before continuing to fulfill your sponsorship role. 

2. You’ve Been Sponsored 

You’ve worked the Steps in the past with your sponsor who has given you the expertise to help guide others by offering your experience, advice, and hope. Ideally, you can merge the teachings of your sponsor with your personal experience to help your new sponsee(s) through their journey to sobriety. 

3. Be Humble

Humility is understanding your strengths and weaknesses and being honest with your sponsee. You don’t have an inflated idea of yourself, but at the same time, you know how to provide your experience productively. As a sponsor, you should also encourage your sponsee(s) to humble themselves.

4. Be Compassionate

People recovering from alcoholism are at a vulnerable time in their lives when feelings of shame and uncertainty are common. As a sponsor, you should be compassionate with their struggle but also learn to be firm in certain areas.

It’s a moderate stance you’ll need to learn over time: not being so soft that you enable them, but also not being so firm that you come off as uncaring. Remember, you were once in their footsteps. 

5. Be A Good Listener

Be willing to listen to your sponsee actively. Be patient when they have trouble expressing their feelings. Learn to be comfortable when they don’t have the words to express their thoughts, validate their emotions, and ask compassionate, clarifying questions.

6. Know Your 12-Steps by Heart

Sobriety is a life-long search that doesn’t end. Your knowledge of the 12 steps must be solid, and you should be capable of applying what you know to stay sober long-term. This consistent experience will be invaluable to your sponsee(s).

7. Be Willing To Take Your Sponsee(s) Out Of Their Comfort Zone

Be willing to help your sponsee(s) acquire new knowledge by going slightly away from their comfort zone. It’ll help them gain new perspectives and explore new ways to stay sober. You can encourage them to attend different AA meetings or read new AA literature to gain a deeper understanding of their recovery process.

What’s An AA Sponsor?

According to AA’s “The Big Book,” an AA sponsor is a person with an alcohol use disorder who “has made some progress in the recovery program and shares that experience with another alcoholic attempting to attain or maintain sobriety through AA.”

Sponsors are essentially more experienced recovering alcoholics who share what they’ve learned with less experienced recovering alcoholics. Their importance lies in acting like role models, providing motivation and encouragement, and being a source of information for less experienced recovering alcoholics.

Who’s Qualified To Be An AA Sponsor?

There are a few requirements potential sponsors should fulfill before being eligible to help others heal:

• They’ve Been Sober For A Year. Preferably for more, but if they’ve been sober for at least 12 months, they are dedicated to recovering from alcoholism and improving their lives. Someone who has just become sober doesn’t have enough experience to guide someone in the same position.
• They’re The Same Gender As The Sponsee. This isn’t a requirement, but it’s encouraged. Since most people are heterosexual, being sponsored by someone of your same gender will minimize the possibility of any side developing romantic feelings or infatuations.
• They Have Less Than Two Or Three Sponsees. If someone is already sponsoring three or more recovering alcoholics, it’s probably better to look for another sponsor with more time to dedicate to their sponsee.

AA Sponsors Are Important For Recovery

A good, compassionate, humble sponsor can be an excellent guide for people just taking their first steps into sobriety. Their work is essential. That’s why they should be experienced and patient with recovering alcoholics. Their guidance and compassion can contribute to their health for the rest of their lives. If you’re considering becoming a sponsor soon, keep these tips in mind to help your sponsees succeed. 

Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among America’s youth–and it’s killing them. In small children, it’s a potent poison that can result in seizures, coma, and even death. In teenagers, it can impair cognitive development, prevent them from developing the necessary skills to succeed in today’s society, and also make them more inclined to engage in risky, dangerous behavior. Underage drinking is a serious public health issue that has become a nationwide concern. 

Underage Drinking Statistics

Children under the age of 18 who drink alcohol are putting their physical health, psychological health, social skills, emotional well-being–and ultimately their futures–at stake. The earlier they are introduced to alcohol, the greater the risks and consequences are likely to be down the line. 

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 39.7% of youths between 12 and 20 years old have had at least one drink in their lives; 20% of this group also reported drinking alcohol within the past month. 

To make matters worse is how young underage people drink. They are more prone to binge drinking behavior (this is how 90% of 12 to 20-year-olds consume alcohol) which amplifies the risks of dangerous consequences like alcohol poisoning, overdosing, and death. In an NIAAA survey that surveyed children on their drinking behavior:

• 4.2 million reported binge drinking in the past month
• 825,000 binge drank five or more times in the past month

Alcohol causes thousands of deaths in young people ages 21 and under each year. In 2019 there were:

• 1,092 from motor vehicle crashes
• 1,000 from homicides
• 208 from alcohol overdose, falls, burns, and drowning
• 596 from suicides

Alcohol Effects on Youths

414,000 children aged 12-17 had an alcohol use disorder. However, the adverse effects of alcohol on youths begin well before they get to the stage of developing an addiction. 

Impaired Brain Development

The brain isn’t fully developed until we reach the age of 25. Young children who consume alcohol earlier than this may experience neuro and cognitive development delays in the brain. This translates into impaired memory, problem-solving skills, and impulse control. Naturally, this will negatively affect academic performance and put them in a poor position for the future. 

An examination comparing the brain activity of drinking versus non-drinking children demonstrated how underage drinking puts youths at a clear disadvantage. The results showed that the brains of children who participated in heavy alcohol consumption were more activated and working harder, though their end performance was the same as their peers. Other studies have shown that underage drinkers have high rates of absenteeism and lower grades.

Mental Health Problems

People who drink alcohol face higher risks of developing mental health problems (someone with an AUD is 3.6 times more likely to develop a mood disorder than someone who isn’t).  The teenage years are a tumultuous and emotionally charged period on their own. Adding alcohol to the mix can exacerbate feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress, and quickly result in a feedback loop that leads to greater alcohol consumption, and so on.

Injury & Death

Accidental injury is the leading cause of death for children in America. Alcohol consumption amplifies this risk for young children by lowering inhibitions and impulse control, while also interfering with cognition and coordination. 

The situation is even stickier for teenagers, who naturally have a greater inclination for thrill-seeking at their age but don’t yet have a developed enough prefrontal cortex to properly weigh potential consequences.  

Unsafe Sex

Underage drinkers are more likely to be sexually active at a younger age and to engage in risky behavior such as unprotected sex. This can result in an increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.  

Criminal Behavior

One of the most common causes of arrests of Americans under the age of 21 is ‘Minor In Possession’ However, that’s not the only reason why youths who drink are clashing with law enforcement. The lack of impulse control paired with thrill-seeking behavior means underage drinkers are more likely to engage in other illegal behaviors like driving under the influence. 

Lack of Social Skills

Many of the social skills children develop are related to their brain development as they age. Alcohol gets in the way of that and can inhibit a child’s ability to process situations and choose an optimal response. Additionally, alcohol can increase antisocial behavior such as aggression or isolation. 

Kids shouldn’t drink alcohol–not just because underage drinking is against the law (a misdemeanor that could result in jail time), but because youth alcohol consumption can have disastrous long-term consequences. If you have a young person in your life who you suspect is abusing alcohol, get help as soon as possible.

Sources:

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics