Underage Drinking: The Personal Consequences

Aside from legal consequences underage drinkers can face, there are personal consequences that can affect a person's social and academic lives, as well as his or her physical and psychological health.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, the long-term physical effects can include: liver disease, nerve damage, sexual problems, brain damage, cancer of the mouth and throat, alcohol poisoning, high blood pressure, stroke, other heart-related diseases, changes in brain development, disruption of normal growth and sexual development, and many more.

Officer Jessica Martin from the Michigan State University Police Department said that people who are under the influence of alcohol are at a higher risk of being physically and sexually assaulted. This can lead to psychological and sometimes physical damage that lasts for years after the incident. 

Underage drinkers can also face social problems related to their drinking habits. Among these problems, the main one is a lack of participation in activities with friends. Academic problems can also surface because students who have a drinking problem begin to miss school more frequently and can suffer from memory loss and lack of concern for grades, according to the CDC Website.