In the United States, underage drinking is a major problem. It is responsible for leading to alcohol related issues, such as alcohol poisoning, driving under the influence and premature death. As well as:
- Violence
- Missing School
- Driving With A Drunk Driver
- Suicide
- Risky Sexual Behavior
It turns out that the use of neuropsychological tests and neuroimaging studies, can help researchers determine which youths are at the greatest risk, ScienceDaily reports. At the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, researchers believe to have found 34 neural factors that show which adolescents are at risk of consuming alcohol. The findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
"Underage alcohol consumption is a significant problem in this country," said senior author Susan F. Tapert, PhD, professor of psychiatry. "Being able to identify at-risk children before they begin drinking heavily has immense clinical and public health implications. Our findings provide evidence that it's possible to predict which adolescents are most likely to begin drinking heavily by age 18."
If heavy drinking in your teenage years has turn into a problem in adulthood, please contact Hope by The Sea. We can help you start the journey of recovery.