Katie Hollern

Mrs. Christ
English Four
04/30/2016

Binge Drinking Never Happens at the Morgue

Motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases,
neurological complications, blackouts, unwanted pregnancies and alcoholism are all genuine risk
factors for those teenagers who engage in binge drinking. And the number of those teenagers
who are abusing this drug by binge drinking is ever increasing. Binge drinking is defined as any
female teenager who consumes more than 4 drinks and any male teenager who consumes more
than 5 drinks on a single occasion. In other words, these teens are not taking sips of alcohol they
are gulping it quickly and getting dangerously drunk very fast. Teens even make up drinking
games that give them the perfect excuse to indulge in binge drinking. The combination of
teenage curiosity, a desire for independence, peer pressure, a quick cure for low self-esteem and
easy access to alcoholic beverages make binge drinking extremely appealing to misguided or
uninformed teenagers.
According to Tara Haelle uninformed teenagers do not realize that, the problem is not just
that this consumption is illegal, but that, kids who start drinking before age 15 also are five
times more likely to become alcoholics or abuse alcohol than are people who wait until
adulthood for their first sip. Epidemiologic studies clearly indicate that adolescence is a
critical risk period for initiation of alcohol use, and the earlier onset is associated with greater
risk of developing alcohol abuse and dependence. Abuse and dependence that increases the

odds that the teenager will eventually suffer from one of the other risk factors associated with
binge drinking.
The worst risk factors associated with binge drinking being death due to fatal motor vehicle
accidents, homicides, suicides and alcohol poisoning according to Lorena Siqueira and Vincent
C. Smith who both claim that, Alcohol is the substance most frequently used by children and
adolescents in the United States, and its use in youth is associated with the leading causes of
death and serious injury at this age (ie, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, and suicides). In
addition, they both claim that, In severe cases, stupor, coma, and death from alcohol poisoning
may occur when the BAC increases beyond the depressant level. Still, although, sexually
transmitted diseases, neurological complications, blackouts, and unwanted pregnancies may not
be fatal these risk factors are just as damaging to a teenagers well-being.
When alcohol interferes with the brains ability to make long-term memories from short-term
memories and experiences this is called a blackout. During a blackout, drinkers are
uninhibited and may engage in high-risk behaviors or suffer an adverse outcome, including
having unprotected sexual intercourse, which may lead to unplanned pregnancy or sexually
transmitted diseases, according to Siqueira and Smith. In a new study, scientists have found
that rats that were given alcohol in their younger years showed brain damage in the hippocampus
region of their brain in their older years. The hippocampus region of the brain controls memory
and learning. For teenagers, this means binge drinking during adolescence may permanently and
irreversibly change their brain functioning. Furthermore, according to Haelle, teens that drink
heavily lose more white matter in their brain over time than do teens that dont. White matter
acts a bit like the brains superhighway system. It connects areas of the brains so-called gray
matter, which processes information.

As with any high-risk behavior, prevention has been shown to be more effective than
intervention. Raychelle Cassada Lohmann MS, LPC advises that, Parents you have the ability to
sway whether or not your teen drinks. By setting rules and expectations against drinking and
consistently enforcing those rules you can deter your teens likelihood of underage drinking. If
you have alcohol in your house, keep it locked up or know how much is in the containers, yes
take inventory. Make sure your teen knows that it is off limits, no ifs, ands, or buts. Most
importantly supervise your teen and ask the four essential questions when your teen goes
out: Where are you going? What are you going to be doing? Who are you going to be
with? When will you be home? I further advise, as a teenager of parents that do not drink, that
you set the same good example by never drinking in front of your own teen.
If all of these truths do not yet force you to admit to yourself what you already know in your
heart to be true, I hope that I have at least made you curious enough to further research the
negative effects of binge drinking and come to a conclusion that will benefit your teenager.

1. Tara Haelle. Alcohol can rewire the Teenage Brain, 2015

2. Dawson DA, Goldstein RB, Chou SP, Ruan WJ, Grant BF. Age at first drink and the first
incidence of adult-onset DSM-IV alcohol use disorders. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008
3. Lorena Siqueira, Vincent C. Smith , "Binge Drinking", 2015
4. Johnston LD, OMalley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future: National
Survey Results on Drug Use, 2012
5. Stolle M, Sack PM, Thomasius R. Binge drinking in childhood and adolescence:
epidemiology, consequences, and interventions, 2009
6. Raychelle Cassada Lohmann MS, LPC, "Teen Binge Drinking: All Too Common, 2013

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/teen-angst/201301/teen-binge-drinking-all-toocommon
2. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/136/3/e718..info
3. https://student.societyforscience.org/article/alcohol-can-rewire-teenage-brain