Contents:
- Medical Video: Alcohol effects on brain and body
- Why can't children drink alcohol?
- The danger of letting children drink alcohol
- 1. Alcohol poisoning
- 2. Low blood sugar
- 3. Liver damage
- 4. Disorders of brain function
- 5. Stunted growth
- 6. Alcohol addiction
Medical Video: Alcohol effects on brain and body
Although alcohol is often served in drinks and adults can enjoy it, basically alcohol is a drug. How alcohol works is similar to antidepressant drugs, namely by suppressing or slowing down the brain's work. Like other drugs, alcohol in excessive doses can harm anyone who drinks it. This is why children are not allowed to drink liquor. However, what might actually happen if the child drinks alcohol? Note carefully the full explanation below.
Why can't children drink alcohol?
Unlike adults, children's organs have not been able to digest alcohol. Especially in children under the age of 15 years. When children drink alcohol, the impact can be felt in the short and long term. In the short term, children can poison alcohol to cause death. Whereas in the long term, there is the possibility of a child becoming an alcoholic.
However, if parents really want to introduce adolescents to alcoholic beverages, it is better to gradually give them a little. According to experts, you should not offer a child to drink alcohol before he turns 15. Also, make sure you are always with the child when he tries alcoholic drinks. If you store alcoholic beverages at home, keep out of reach of children.
To prevent children from drinking out of parental supervision, you are also obliged to provide education about the dangers of alcohol and teach you how to reject the invitation of peers to drink alcohol without parental supervision.
The danger of letting children drink alcohol
The impact of drinking alcohol on the body of a child who is still in its infancy is quite serious. Here are five dangers that might occur if minors drink alcohol.
1. Alcohol poisoning
Alcohol poisoning can occur if children consume alcoholic drinks in high doses. Alcohol poisoning is usually characterized by symptoms such as daze, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, drastic drop in body temperature (the body becomes cold), seizures, loss of consciousness (fainting), and the skin becomes very pale or blue. In some cases, children can coma or die from alcohol poisoning.
2. Low blood sugar
Low blood sugar is one of the side effects that might occur if the child drinks alcohol. Because, in children's bodies, alcohol will prevent the release of glucose (sugar) into the blood. As a result, blood sugar levels also dropped dramatically. This condition is also known as hypoglycemia.
Low blood sugar can cause headaches, seizures, to coma because the child's brain does not get enough glucose. If the blood sugar level in a child really drops and is not immediately treated, hypoglycemia can cause sudden death. However, this case is very rare indeed.
3. Liver damage
Liver (liver) is an organ that is responsible for separating toxins and removing them from your body. Alcohol is one type of poison that must be removed by the liver. If your child often consumes alcoholic beverages, the liver is forced to work harder. This makes the child's heart more susceptible to damage or cirrhosis.
4. Disorders of brain function
Alcohol will immediately cause a reaction in the central nervous system in the child's brain. The part of the brain affected by alcohol is the hippocampus which regulates coordination, movement, memory, thinking ability, and language skills.
If the child's brain has been exposed to alcohol since childhood, the damage to the central nervous system can be serious and permanent. As a result, children's cognitive abilities such as thinking, remembering, and making decisions become disturbed.
5. Stunted growth
When children have started drinking alcohol, the development of vital organs in their bodies such as the brain, heart, heart and bones will be hampered. This is because alcohol in a child's body will interfere with hormonal balance. While hormones play a very important role in regulating various bodily functions of children, for example maintaining bone density.
6. Alcohol addiction
A number of studies have shown that children who have drunk alcohol since childhood are more susceptible to problems with alcoholism in adolescence and adulthood. In addition, drinking alcohol before the age of 14 tends to encourage children to carry out various risky behaviors. For example, committing violence, using illegal drugs, or having free sex with multiple partners.
So, the direction and supervision of parents is very influential in shaping children's sense of responsibility when consuming alcohol. This is also the reason children under 21 are not encouraged to drink alcohol.
