General Article Young people and alcohol – what are the risks?

Topic Selected: Alcohol
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The effects of alcohol on young people are not the same as they are on adults. While alcohol misuse can present health risks and cause careless behaviour in all age groups, it is even more dangerous for young people. Find out how alcohol can affect young people’s health and behaviour.

 

Health risks

Because young people’s bodies are still growing, alcohol can interfere with their development. This makes young people particularly vulnerable to the long-term damage caused by alcohol. This damage can include:

  • cancer of the mouth and throat
  • sexual and mental health problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts
  • liver cirrhosis and heart disease.

Research also suggests that drinking alcohol in adolescence can harm the development of the brain.

Young people might think that any damage to their health caused by drinking lies so far in the future that it’s not worth worrying about. However, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people in their twenties dying from liver di...

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