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It is generally believed that the potential for alcohol-related harm is higher for younger people (those under the age of 25), whose drinking behaviors place them at particular risk for harm. The debate revolves around how best to reduce the risks facing young people.
Young people are, for a variety of reasons, at increased risk for harm from certain drinking patterns.
Physiologically, young people are still undergoing developmental changes, which places them at increased risk for physical harm.
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They may have reduced sensitivity to some intoxicating effects of alcohol compared to older adults.
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They may be susceptible to increased potential harm to brain development, memory processing, and other physiological development.
Young people's inexperience with alcohol consumption, their greater tendency towards risk taking, as well as other behaviors, also increase the potential for social harm:
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increased tendency to drink excessively;
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increased likelihood of aggressive and asocial behavior and accidents (especially traffic accidents);
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association of excessive alcohol consumption with risky sexual behavior and sexual assault.
There is no agreement on the specific age when drinking becomes appropriate.
Most cultures where alcohol consumption is legal have a mandated threshold age at which buying and/or consuming alcohol becomes permitted. Where this limit should be set and its potential effectiveness as a prevention measure is subject to considerable debate.
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Minimum drinking and purchase ages in countries around the world range from 15 to 21 years of age.
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Where the age limit is set, it is largely a product of cultural attitudes toward alcohol and level of permissiveness to drinking by young people.
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In some countries, drinking age precedes the age of legal majority, in others, it coincides with it, and, in still others, drinking is delayed well past that threshold.
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Typically, drinking age laws make no reference to alcohol consumption in the home. In some countries alcohol content or type of beverage also determine the age of legal access.
There is considerable debate around how adolescents learn to drink and what influences their drinking.
How and when the young learn about drinking and acquire subsequent drinking patterns, may be influenced by a variety of factors: family, peers, media, cultural norms and religion, and government policies. There is evidence that family and peers represent the most significant influences in the development of drinking patterns.
The influence of the age at which drinking is initiated on the potential for problems later in life is a controversial issue.
Some evidence suggests that there may be some correlation between the age at which an individual begins actively drinking and harm: the earlier drinking begins, the higher the likelihood of harm. This is, however, likely to relate to particular patterns of drinking and require further research.
It is important to consider a range of other key factors that may contribute to the development of problems, e.g., genetics, family history, drinking patterns, cultural influences, social and family environments. |