Adolescents warned of brain damage from alcohol

Alcohol misuse is "by far" the biggest drug problem among youngsters and although a lot of money has been spent to try and pass on this message, society in general is still complacent, scientist Charles Scerri believes.

He said research has shown that alcohol damages the brain of adolescents even more than it does that of adults, with repercussions that include learning and memory problems.

"Alcohol and adolescence are a dangerous mix. Alcohol is found everywhere. Peer pressure and the necessity to form part of a group while being different, together with the need to explore, spurs adolescents into accepting alcohol as something cool and the only way to have fun," he said.

Dr Scerri, a scientist at the University of Malta's Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Department, said a US study showed that heavy alcohol use during the teenage years predicts lower scores in memory and attention tests when a person is in his early 20s.

Moreover, he said, what one sees when looking directly at the brain is not encouraging. There is significantly less brain activity in alcohol-dependent young people, especially in areas involving cognitive functions.

"These people also have a greater chance of developing Koraskoff syndrome, a brain disorder where there is severe long-lasting memory impairment."

Dr Scerri said the brains of long-term alcoholics are smaller in size because of significant brain cell loss. "And brain cells are not replaced," he emphasised.

He pointed out that adolescence is a very important period of development during which an individual acquires the skills necessary to survive as an independent person. During adolescence, the way the brain - which is "an amazingly complex organ" - organises itself enters a unique period of transition.

He said adolescents are more vulnerable because alcohol produces impairment in both memory and learning. Similarly to most sedatives it inhibits the formation of new memories.

"The greater the consumption, the greater the impairment. People who consume large quantities of alcohol usually experience alcohol blackout, which is the inability to remember entire events that occurred while drinking," he said.

Dr Scerri said the biggest problem is that adolescents engage in binge drinking on weekends while trying to lead a normal life during the rest of the week.

"This means that there is a massive exposure to alcohol for a short period of time during which the body, including the brain, tries to counteract the high concentration of toxins present," he said, adding that although alcohol may seem expensive to certain age groups, cheaper options are available.

Alcohol is a toxin and the body reacts to it like poison. "The body does not produce it and does not need it. The liver will try to get rid of it as fast as possible by breaking it down, but this takes time.

"In a normal individual it takes about two hours to break down a bottle of beer or a mixed drink. If you drink alcohol faster than you can break it down, the excess will remain in your bloodstream, travelling to all the organs, including the brain," he said.

Alcohol is absorbed very quickly from the stomach, getting into the blood fairly quickly.

He pointed out that the United States Department of Health and Human Services lists alcohol as a known human carcinogen.

"So 'drinking a little is good for your health' is definitely not the best message to get through, though total abstinence is difficult to achieve," he said.