What were the biggest things you learnt while completing this task?
The biggest things that I learnt while researching the topic of alcohol and binge drinking is that Alcohol is a disruptive and addictive substance to your body. Giving bad effects to your mental health and effecting how you think and react emotionally. As well and physically hurting your body, destroying some of your organs such as the liver. Another big thing that I learnt whilst researching the topic of alcohol and binge drinking is the reasons why people binge drink, and that it can have a genetic component and can be due towards growing up around bad role models who tend to drink more than other people do. The final big thing that I really learnt was that alcohol has a big effect on you brain function to make choices, as alcohol lowers your brain’s ability to get stressed and gets rid of the ability to detect danger around yourself, and alcohol decreases brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, which controls your decision making and controls most of your emotions.
What one piece of advice would you pass on to young teenagers above all else? Why?
One piece of advice that I would give to young teenagers is that you should always try to stay in a safe environment with a close friend that can take care of you or a family member that can also take care of you, making sure that can get home safely if you are out drinking somewhere like a bar or restaurant as well as so that you do not do anything dangerous that could end in a bad result.
Write down a pledge that you will commit to if you start drinking alcohol (at the legal age of 18 years).
I pledge to not intake enough alcohol to get me overly intoxicated to the point where I am addicted to alcohol and end up binge drinking, I will make sure that I will not get in trouble with the law and follow the already established laws as well as the new ones created if there is any, when I am always drinking wherever it may be. I will also make sure to be in a safe environment when I am drinking and with at least 1 close friend or family member.
Why did you pick these things to commit to?
I chose these things to commit to because I feel that these are the most important things when drinking alcohol and making sure that you stay safe.
How will you stick to these commitments?
I will stick to these commitments by revisiting this pledge on my 18th Birthday.