Alcohol and the developing brain

Drinking can be harmful to teenagers’ physical development, particularly their brain development. During adolescence the brain undergoes a lot of changes. As it is developing, it’s more sensitive to alcohol.

• Young people are at greater risk of alcohol-related harm than adults.²
• Drinking alcohol can impact brain development up until the age of 25, resulting in affected attention, memory, and decision-making abilities.^{3, 4}
• The earlier a young person is introduced to alcohol and the more frequently they drink, can increase the likelihood of them becoming dependant on alcohol later in life.¹
• Delaying drinking alcohol as long as possible can help reduce harms. The Australian alcohol guidelines recommend delaying the first drink until at least 18 years.²
• While young people are less likely to drink alcohol than past generations, when they do, they are likely to drink to intoxication, resulting in injuries, alcohol poisoning and sometimes death.²
• There is strong and consistent evidence that alcohol causes cancer, increasing the risk for mouth, throat, breast, bowel, liver and pancreatic cancer.⁵