The Effects of Alcohol and Drugs on the Teenage Brain

Your brain is who you are, it’s what makes you, you. You wouldn’t be able to speak, breathe, move, or feel without your brain; so why damage it? When drugs enter the brain it interferes with everything, which can eventually lead to it changing how it works overtime. This also means you are at high risk for addiction, a serious disease that can ruin your entire life, even with the littlest amount of drugs or alcohol. Teens don’t know the dangers drugs and alcohol can do to your brain or the fact that you’re slowly poisoning your brain when you are consuming these harmful substances. In the long run, drugs and alcohol will ruin your life permanently; a little can do a whole lot.

Drugs are harmful chemicals, and so is Drano; you might as well be sipping Drano and snorting fire ants. This is a good way to think about it; Drano can devour your flesh and give you serious side effects, which can likely lead to death, and snorting fire ants clog your nasal cavity and suffocate you to death. So think of cocaine as fire ants, it can do the same damage, and think of heroin or meth as Drano, which also give the same effects. I've personally never done meth or heroin, but I just know in the long run it can produce pretty awful results. Would you want to feel that?

Did you know alcohol was responsible for more than 4,300 deaths in teens back in 2014? I also had a look at a list of notable celebrities who died, and over 80 celebrities died from a drug overdose or a death related to alcohol. Most of them happen to be very young as well, such as Lil Peep and Mac Miller, which are well-known rappers in the 21st century. These are the people our generation is looking up to, the people we idolize. So why aren’t teens putting down the alcohol and drugs? That’s where society comes in. Teenagers are surrounded by drugs and alcohol; everyone is doing it, movies glorify underage drinking and drug usage; teenagers have in their developing brain that it’s “cool” to do drugs, but the reality is: drugs kill.

Most people learn that drugs and alcohol can damage your body by stunting your growth, getting a beer belly, fatigue, chronic pain, liver damage, etc. Or they just learn to “refuse to use drugs and alcohol” and not learn the side effects. But did you know the consequences it could do to your brain, the underdeveloped organ that is one of the most important organs in your body? I’m sure you didn’t know you could develop psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and that’s just for chronic marijuana use. While intoxicated or in withdrawal from alcohol, you could experience alcohol-induced psychosis, an episode of hallucinations and delusions, unable to differentiate reality between hallucinations. This episode can last up until the alcohol wears off, or it could be permanent. Would you want to be hallucinating until you are in your deathbed?

Drugs and alcohol can cause severe damage to your brain, such as damaging nerve cells, brain cells, neurotransmitters, etc. But it could also cause you to lack motivation, have poor muscle movement, coordination difficulties, memory problems, impaired problem solving, weakened vision, etc. In fact, I created a survey and got 14 responses back. 50% said they endure high energy, delusional thoughts, lack of motivation, and dizziness. And 62.5% said they experience fatigue, now that’s a lot. Let me tell you something, a total of 5,455 teens, ages 15-24, died in 2017 due to a drug overdose. There's one specific kid I want to focus on: Sam Motsay. Sam Motsay was an honors student at Center Grove, Indiana. He was an extremely talented athlete and played in his school band. However, in the month of May 2014, Sam and his friends thought it would be a good idea to try what they thought was LSD. That night he went to bed but never woke up. The drug he actually took was dangerous and fatal: NBOMe, or N-Bomb. Sam never got to graduate high school or go off to college. He will never produce a family of his own and will never experience the joy of life. Teenagers think they are getting this certain drug they asked for, but in reality, it could be spiked or not even closely related to the drug, this will put obstinate teenagers who think they know everything, in their deathbed. They will all end up like Sam one day. I have heard many people say “But my dealer doesn’t do that stuff”. Well, you don’t really know your “dealer” or their “dealer”, you can’t trust everyone. Believe it or not, virtually every teen that uses drugs may end up like Sam Motsay.

What about the benefits? Well, the only benefit I see is the CBD, but that’s just the root of marijuana, which only has 0.2 THC in it. Other than that, I don’t see any benefits in drugs or alcohol. So how could we decrease the number of teenagers taking drugs or underage drinking? Well, I'm not sure. I am aware that most parents seem to know their kids are drinking or doing drugs, maybe they should get in trouble for not disciplining their kids as they should be.

All in all, drugs and alcohol will destroy your brain. It may not seem like it, but it is deadly, and teenagers have many years to continue, why waste your life on substances that will ruin your brain and change your entire life? Society has overthrown this generation, making everyone believe that the only way you can fit in with the crowd or to be “cool” you ought to do drugs or stay out late drinking with friends. That shouldn’t even be an option. Drugs will destroy your brain cells, affect your memory, mobility, muscle movement, coordination, eyesight, overall everything. Alcohol can cause just as many obstacles, disrupting your life. Drugs and Alcohol will destroy your brain, essentially killing it because you are killing the brain cells. You are also basically killing your body and organs because you are destroying neurotransmitters; destroying those will potentially put you in your deathbed. Who would want to waste their life on just trying to “fit in”? Live your life the way you desire, don’t let society or peers pressure you into doing something, especially since it harms you physically and mentally. Just remember: hugs, not drugs. Drugs and alcohol kill your brain, and that is a fact.