Spring Break and the Brain: Post #4 - Boys and Beer Bongs

In researching and developing my workshop "Who Spiked the Punch? Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs on the Developing Adolescent Brain", I went on YouTube to see what the guys were doing.  I found some pretty scary stuff - nothing that I want to highlight here.  But I will admit to this, I typed in "beer bong" and received over a MILLION hits in response.  When looking at 50-75 of the videos, the majority of people with their heads under the hoses were boys.

For those of you who are not familiar with "beer bongs", allow me to inform you of the facts.  It used to be a homemade device, but now of course you can order them from companies, where beers are poured in a funnel which is secured to a hose that is in someone's mouth.  The secret, I am told, is to open up your gullet in order for your gag reflex to relax so you can keep swallowing as your friends keep pouring.  The funnel size can be large or small along with the length of the hose. I will admit to seeing these devices at house parties I attended in college but was too scared (?) too smart (?) to try it.  Maybe my decision came from watching so many people vomit after the funnel fun.

There is some data on the use of alcohol (and other drugs) by boys/males.  They are more likely to use alcohol in relation to risk-taking (ex. drinking and driving) and to enhance peer reputation (i.e. who can drink the most?). Moreover, studies look at the connection of drinking as a coping mechanism for boys dealing with many life issues. The idea being that they are less likely to verbalize their emotions, thus deal with them in unhealthy ways.

Unlike girls who primarily abused one drug, boys were more likely to be diagnosed with simultaneous abuse or dependence on MORE THAN one drug. [cite].  In addition, the researchers found that nearly twice the percentage of teenage male substance abusers had co-occurring ADHD or conduct disorders compared with female teen abusers.

Other data show that boys have considerable more problems with learning and memory after drinking than females.  This may be due to the fact that the hippocampus (the brain area responsible for these two functions) is smaller, by nature, in the male brain.  Therefore, any additional damage to the area by alcohol can make a significant difference.

A great source summarizing all this information and seeing a "real life example" is a clip from the HBO documentary, "Addiction."  Meet Dylan, the boy next door.