Binge-drinking increases brain tissue degeneration in adolescent monkeys even after they quit drinking.

Is there a long-term impact from binge drinking during the teenage years?

Researchers from the Scripps Institute explored this question by letting adolescent macaque monkeys drink amounts of alcohol equivalent to teenage binge drinking for 11 months. Then they withdrew all alcohol for 8-10 weeks, and examined their brain tissue. Compared to non-drinking monkeys, they found that the binge-drinkers had significantly greater brain tissue degeneration.

PositiveTip: It is essential to  educate teens about the long-term, permanent changes that can be the result of reckless behaviors.