We all know that combining drinking and driving has dangerous consequences,
but until now, few of us knew that alcohol can "hardwire" our kids for other
addictions.
Research also now tells us that underage alcohol consumption can disrupt
physical growth, inhibit learning and memory functions, and set our kids up
for failure.
On Oct. 29, Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Underage Drinking Prevention
Committee launched "Draw the Line," a new public-awareness campaign to educate
all parents and adults about how alcohol use hurts our kids.
Roughly 40 percent of youths who start drinking before age 15 will experience
an alcoholic episode during their lifetime, vs. 7 percent of those who wait to
drink until age 21. Now there's a documented reason why: The brain is still
developing through the early 20s. Even moderate amounts of alcohol can cause
irreversible physical changes and damage to a young person's brain - making
them more susceptible to other chemical stimuli (drugs) and cognitive trouble.
Alcohol disrupts the brain's pleasure-reward system by stimulating unusual
amounts of dopamine, creating feelings of pleasure from a chemical instead of
from natural experiences. The teen brain already produces an abundance of
dopamine (compared with an adult brain), so when stimulated by alcohol, it can
rapidly go from liking, to craving, to needing alcohol. This programs it for
alcoholism, according to a 1997 article in the Journal of Substance Abuse.
It also damages the impulse-control and good-judgment areas of the brain, and
harms learning and memory areas.
Collectively, this can cause young people to: develop social problems, have
poor judgment, get into trouble, perform poorly in school and fail to achieve
life-long goals, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism and other social surveys.
Inevitably, when one discusses underage alcohol use, a debate about the legal
drinking age arises. The most important thing to remember is that through age
21, the brain is still developing, and alcohol use causes permanent damage.
For those of us who are social scientists, behavioral counselors, or public
health administrators, this research indicates that clearly the legal drinking
age is anything but an arbitrary number.
The drinking age is, in part, set at 21 because by this age the brain and body
are more fully developed. Earlier alcohol use can hijack too many of the
body's important systems and organs. Waiting to drink until age 21 also can
reduce the risk of alcoholism and can prevent the likelihood of other
addictions later in life.
It's time that we adults educate ourselves and our children about this subject
and stop foolishly believing that kids are safe if they are drinking in our
homes and not out on the street. Our concern should not be about where they
drink but at what age.
It's also time to recognize that enabling underage drinking (by hosting
parties, purchasing it for younger siblings or turning a blind eye to kids in
our stores, bars, or neighborhoods) is harmful too. Enabling kids to drink
hurts their health and is against the law. It's time to draw the line. -
Lisa Shumaker, Anthem
The writer is chairwoman of the Arizona Underage Drinking Prevention
Committee and manager of prevention services for the Arizona Department of
Health Services.