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Under Age Drinking

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EFFECTS OF UNDER AGE DRINKING AND DRUG ABUSE TO THE BRAIN
Paul Were
ENG110
Instructor: Luciano
Proposing a Solution
10/06/2012

Under age drinking and drug abuse is a very serious issue. Many of the students in our communities are consuming alcohol in alarmingly high quantities and at equally alarming frequencies. On average, at least a certain percentage of young people report or admit having used drugs once in their lifetime. Tobacco is often the first drug young people use, if they choose to use alcohol and illegal drugs. Teens claim to do this when they are upset, alone or bored. For many, alcohol consumption and drug abuse among young people has gone well beyond the occasional rite-of-passage levels their parents may have experienced. Because it is a neurotoxin chemical, alcohol consumption and drug abuse by students is not only affecting their academic performance but also their social behavior. Manifesting itself well before these students finish high school, drug and chemical dependency is an issue that cuts across all social-economic boundaries and leads to serious ramifications for teens and young adults. There is a need to educate parents and teens to reduce the severity of the problem and give our young people a chance for a productive future life. Drug use in adolescence is a very high risk causing permanent changes to the brain, brain injury, directly or indirectly, as well as chronic changes. Brain damage or acquired brain injury is the destruction of brain cells. The result can be permanent disability delusions, speech loss or inability to walk because some parts of the brain lack oxygen. Severe brain damage may result in a persistent vegetative state, coma or death. According to author Katy Butler in a New York Times article, “alcohol significantly impairs overall brain functions in the young, particularly cognitive functions like

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