Children who begin drinking before the age of 15 are 4 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who start drinking after the age of 21. Non-using middle school students in classes where their peers use substances do worse on tests than students in classes where substance use is not the norm. True or False. The pre-frontal cortex which is the brains chief decision maker and voice of reason changes more than any other part of the adolescent brain and is the part most damaged by high risk drinking. The changes that take place in the brain during adolescence create the need to drink more to feel the same amount of pleasure as an adult would.
All answers are True.
I didn't know the correct answers to all these questions until I learned about the recent work by scientists like Scott Swartzwelder and Aaron White of Duke University, Michael De Bellis of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Sandra Brown of the University of California, and Mark Pendergast of the University of Kentucky. Alcohol use by kids is very addictive, reduces potential, increases risk of harm and is illegal. Alcohol use by children ruins their chances for success. Last year over 4,100 Ohio youngsters didn't get this message in time. They received treatment for their alcohol addiction from a state supported program.