How Alcohol Affects a Teen's Developing Brain! This may be The Reason for the Poor School Performance

Alcohol affects two crucial parts of the brain which are vulnerable
when a teenager is developing. This can result in irreversible brain
changes that can impact decision making, personality, memory and
learning.
How does alcohol affect messages in the body?
Ever played Chinese whispers? Well your brain does every day, getting
messages from your nerve cells to your body. It needs to send the
correct messages throughout your body so it functions correctly.
Alcohol acts on the nerve cells of the brain and disrupts the
communication between nerves cells and other cells of the body.
Alcohol does this by altering the actions of two major
neurotransmitters in the brain.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messages, which enable nerve cells to
talk to each other and to other cells in the body. Alcohol suppresses
the activities of certain nerve pathways, eventually making a person
appear sluggish, lethargic and slow-moving.
While research tells us alcohol can damage the developing brain it is
not clear how much alcohol it takes to do this. For these reasons, it
is recommended that for under 18's no alcohol is the safest choice and
that they delay the initiation of drinking for as long as possible.
What parts of the brain are affected?
While there are several parts of the brain affected by alcohol during
the teenage years there are two areas of the brain that are
particularly sensitive to alcohol during this period.
Hippocampus
The hippocampus is responsible for memory and learning.
Studies of adolescents show that heavy and extended alcohol use is
associated with a 10% reduction in the size of the hippocampus. It
also shows that the function of the hippocampus is uniquely sensitive
to alcohol at this time and that alcohol may be poisonous to the nerve
cells of the hippocampus causing them to be damaged or destroyed.3
Prefrontal lobe
The prefrontal lobe is important for planning, judgement, decision
making, impulse control and language.
This area of the brain changes the most during the teenage years.
Research with heavy drinking adolescents' shows that these young
people have smaller prefrontal lobes than young people of the same age
who do not drink.
The body of research about the effects of alcohol on the developing
brain is still growing. Studies have shown physical changes in the
brain and evidence of impaired problem solving and other cognitive
function resulting from young people's alcohol use.
It is well known that of young people who do drink in Australia, the
number who experience alcohol-related problems is high. Studies of
these young people have shown significant and detrimental changes in
brain development compared with their non-alcohol-using peers.
Does alcohol influence the brain in other ways?
Alcohol affects cells in the body, and the most immediate impacts are
seen on the brain. Alcohol is a depressant that affects the brain by
causing the brain to slow down. This can result in:
Slurred speech.
Poor muscle control and judgement.
Confusion.
Slower reactions.
Poor vision.
Lack of coordination.
Sleep disruption.
The earlier a person starts drinking alcohol (drinking at levels that
are likely to cause injury or ill-health) , the greater the risk of
changing the development of the brain. This can lead to problems with
memory and learning, and increases the risk of having alcohol-related
problems later in life.
Alcohol and enjoyment
Changes in the wiring of a young and developing brain due to alcohol
use can result in finding alcohol more rewarding when they are adults.
A strong feeling of reward from alcohol use may be associated with an
increased risk of alcohol-related problems when they are adults.