Teen Drinking & Mental Health: What You Need to Know (And How to Check Yourself)
If you’re in high school or college, it can feel like everybody drinks. Maybe it’s at parties, hanging out after a game, or even just chilling in someone's backyard. At first, it might seem like a normal part of growing up and experimenting. But here’s the thing: alcohol impacts a developing brain differently than it does an adult’s. While alcohol is not great for adult bodies and minds either, the impact is more problematic for a body and mind that is still going through a very important stage of development. It’s not just about bad hangovers or making cringey decisions you regret the next day. Drinking now can affect your mood, memory, and mental health for years. It's also responsible for around 4300 deaths of young people under age 21 . How Alcohol Impacts a Teen Brain Your brain’s still under construction – The part that controls decisions, impulse control, and planning (your prefrontal cortex) isn’t done developing until about age 25. Alcohol ...