Posted on May 22, 2009

Parents of teen drinkers may struggle to understand the attraction for their child, especially if some of the consequences associated with their actions include vomiting and car accidents. According to a U.S. expert of alcohol abuse, it is these very things that may actually be the problem.

According to The Age, heavy drinking teens can associate bad experiences with pleasure. Aaron White, a health administrator with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, pointed to a misguided neurological process as the problem.

Specific neurological processes were originally designed to ensure human survival. When alcohol is involved – especially in large quantities – these processes are put off course and produce a less than desirable effect.

White pointed to the use of alcohol and other drugs and how their use helps to induce the release of the neuro-transmitter dopamine. The habit of drinking is highly likely to become entrenched the younger the consumer actually is.

Any experience while drinking – including vomiting and car accidents – can be associated with the pleasurable feeling that dopamine induced. In essence, the brain is tricked into believing those things are positive because they feel good. The pleasure associated with the behavior increases the likelihood that the rewarded behavior will be repeated.

Research at the University of California, San Diego found that heavy alcohol consumption among adolescents led to a decrease in the size of the frontal lobes, the part of the brain that was associated with planning, inhibition and emotion regulation. This decrease impact’s the person’s ability to make wise decisions while under the influence of the alcohol.

A key driver for youth drinking is peer pressure. In fact, recent research has even pointed to increases in use due to a perception of the actual usage among friends. In addition, teens often report that they do not believe the health warnings against drinking more than two servings of alcohol a day applies to them. Such ignorance could make the difference between life and death.