Over half of Americans 12 years and older are or were alcohol users. Of that half, over 8 million are under the legal age to drink. Alcohol acts as a depressant for your body’s central nervous system. It impacts the nerve cells of the brain and disrupts the communication between these and other cells of the body. Alcohol does this by altering the actions of two major neurotransmitters in the brain and slows down the connections that happen within the mind and leads to a loss of cognitive function. In her article “Alcohol can rewire the teenage brain,” author Tara Haelle supports that teenage drinking is a growing concern and accounts for 11 percent of all alcohol consumption in the United States alone. The drinking age of 21 is partly due to state and federal statutes but, also because one’s brain doesn’t stop developing until then. Exposure to alcohol in adolescent years can permanently alter brain chemistry. Drinking during this critical period of development may lead to permanent damage that can linger for the duration of a person’s life.
Alcohol affects two crucial parts of the brain which are vulnerable when a teenager is developing. In her article “Teen Drinking May Cause Irreversible Brain Damage,” author Michelle Trudeau states alcohol results in irreversible brain changes that can impact decision making, personality, memory, and learning. Alcohol first affects the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for rational thinking, judgment, and decision making.