By: Nick Buglione
The brain isn't fully developed until a person reaches 23, and when teenagers and young adults consume alcohol, it has the potential to cause irreparable damage, recent studies have shown.
A number of reports released in the past few years have revealed how complex brain development is and how alcohol inhibits that process, leading to memory impairment, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
"While the skeleton, skin and body stop growing, the brain is still growing," said Isabel Burk, a nationally certified health education specialist and instructor for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. "At 18, the brain is still well into the growing phase."
Burk is a sought-after speaker who has lectured in 38 states on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. She recently made a presentation on drinking and brain development for local educators through the Long Island Regional Student Support Services. She has appeared on "20/20," "CBS This Morning," "The View," and Fox News.
The main point she tries to hammer home is that the brain develops on a very complex schedule, and drinking disrupts that schedule. But in a society where youth drinking is often considered an inevitable part of growing up, it's hard to get people to grasp this concept, Burk said. "Most parents were drinking back when 18 was the legal drinking age, so it seems normal to them," she said. "They look at themselves and say, 'I turned out OK.'"
What most parents don't know, however, is that when pre-teenagers, teenagers and young adults drink, it can lead to myriad brain-related deficiencies, including concentration problems, poor memory retention and discipline issues, studies have shown.
A report released last year by the Duke University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry characterized the brain as "an amazingly complex, still poorly understood organ." It detailed that while the overall size of the brain increases little beyond early childhood, important structural and functional changes continue to take place into adulthood.
The circuits that dictate how one behaves, makes decision and reacts in certain situations are remodeled during the teen years -- a time when the brain is malleable, the study said. Evidence suggested that alcohol abuse during these years might decrease the size of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that controls learning and memory.
An American Medical Association report released in December 2002 compared magnetic resonance images of brains of 14- to 21-year-olds who abused alcohol with those of non-drinkers and revealed similar findings. "Our brains go through important transformations during adolescence," said Dr. Sandra Brown, chief of psychology services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego, whose research was included in the report. "This study shows that alcohol use during the adolescent years is associated with damage to memory and learning capabilities as well as to the decision-making and reasoning areas in the brain."
The study concluded that alcohol takes a greater toll on brain development in those under 21, and that adults would have to consume twice as many drinks to suffer the same effects. What's more, the effects on adolescents might be irreversible, the study found.
Meanwhile, last year a RAND health report, which followed young people from seventh grade through age 23, found that drinking increased the likelihood of academic and social problems during the teenage years and heightened the risk of behavior problems through the early 20s.
Those identified in seventh grade as drinkers were two to three times more likely to use hard drugs, twice as likely to engage in violent or criminal behavior and 1 1/2 times more likely to miss work for no reason later in life, the study found.
Even armed with this data, however, it's difficult to get young drinkers to realize the potential damage they're doing, Burk said. "If you look mature, what does your brain think you are?" she said. "You start to think you are ready to do adult stuff."
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control survey revealed in 2003 that 27 percent of high-school youths in New York state had their first drink before age 13. And Burk said that research has found that these kids are 40 percent more likely to become alcohol-dependent later in life.
Lynn Tenaglia, a North Bellmore resident and a health teacher at Long Beach High School, said her students often can't grasp the risks associated with drinking. "The first thing that the kids say is 'Well, my brain cells are dying anyway,'" Tenaglia said. "That was once the belief. You were born with all your brain cells and you lose them along the way."
This cavalier attitude toward alcohol doesn't stem from youth, but rather is widespread in our society, according to Barry Wilansky, executive director of the Tempo Group. The group, which has offices in North Merrick and Woodmere, specializes in chemical dependency and offers counseling for adolescents, adults and families.
"The mistake we've made over the years is [thinking] that alcohol is just a beverage," Wilansky said. "Alcohol is a chemical drug that alters the way people think, feel and behave. We do not tell the truth about that drug."
Gail Volk, executive director of the Community Wellness Council of the Bellmores and Merricks, points out that society once had a similar attitude toward cigarette smoking. She is hopeful that perceptions of alcohol can change. "Years ago, people didn't know smoking was something that could cause so many illnesses," Volk said. "Now that we have the research, it's something we can educate people on."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
