Youth alcoholism - Research Paper Example

Alcohol use and abuse is among the most prevalent of these activities, with a high number of teenagers taking alcohol. This paper will be a discussion of alcohol use among the youth. Alcohol use and abuse is a serious issue among young people. Approximately 11 million American youth under the age of 21 take alcohol. About half of these drink in excess, consuming five or more drinks in at a particular time in a span of two weeks. Apart from the unhealthy risk of alcohol dependence which affects the functioning of the person that engages in alcohol use, there is the possibility of alcohol related accidents and violence (American Medical Association).

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among youths between the ages of 15 to 20 (Chung et al. 555). There is also the possibility sexual assaults and date rapes among teens (American Medical Association). As a result of this, it is important to look into and clearly understand the extent to which youth involve in underage drinking and come up with the possible ways of curbing this rampant problem. Among the youth, binge drinking is common. This behavior has significant physical effects such as interfering with the digestion system hence diarrhea.

Heavy drinking also causes swelling and closure of the pyloric valve causing vomiting (Dudley 12). There are also other unpleasant symptoms of hangovers which include headaches, nausea and dizziness. However, the organ that is most affected by alcohol is the brain; alcohol suppresses a product of the brain thus slowing down the functioning of the brain and the nervous system. This is what leads to ‘blackouts’ or memory loss and the youth are most vulnerable after drinking. There is decreased mental sharpness and one cannot judge on what they are doing (Dudley 12-14).

Most teenagers engage in risky sexual behavior at such points as well as drunken driving. Increased drinking causes alcohol intoxication that can lead