Why is alcohol worse for kids?

The Bottom Line Alcohol can be a dangerous poison for children. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and causes low blood glucose (sugar). Children who drink alcohol can have seizures and coma; they could even die.

Why is alcohol bad for kids under 18?

For children and young people under 18, not drinking alcohol is the safest choice. Alcohol is a depressant that affects the brain by causing the brain to slow down. Alcohol can affect your child’s brain which continues developing into their early twenties.

How does alcohol affect adolescence?

Adolescents may drink more alcohol compared to adults and consequently achieve much higher (and more dangerous) blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) before becoming incapacitated. The higher alcohol levels that are achieved in a maturing brain increases the adolescent’s risk for neurotoxicity and memory problems.

Do young people drink more alcohol than adults?

People ages 12 to 20 drink 4.0 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States. 3 Although youth drink less often than adults do, when they do drink, they drink more. More than 90 percent of all alcoholic drinks consumed by young people are consumed through binge drinking 4 (see “What is binge drinking?” box).

What are the risks of drinking alcohol at an early age?

In addition to the effects of alcohol on the adolescent brain drinking alcohol at an early age has other risks. There is extensive research to show that the earlier a person drinks alcohol in his/her life the more likely (s)he will have an alcohol use disorder as an adult.

Are children of Alcoholics more likely to become alcoholics?

For example, being a child of an alcoholic or having several alcoholic family members places a person at greater risk for alcohol problems. Children of alcoholics (COAs) are between 4 and 10 times more likely to become alcoholics themselves than are children who have no close relatives with alcoholism (26).