Binge Drinking, Pot May Harm Teen Brains

Even teenagers know that downing 12 beers in a single night isn’t good for their bodies and can be dangerous. But a new study suggests that routine binge drinking like this may cause mental problems—including a reduced ability to think—that can last long after the hangovers have worn off.

In the study, researchers interviewed 48 teens between the ages of 12 and 18 about their alcohol use and then gave them a battery of attention and cognition tests at least two days after they’d had their last drink. The more drinks the teens reported consuming in their drinking sessions, the poorer they performed on the tests. (Some of the teens had known substance abuse problems.)

Frequent marijuana use also appeared to damage memory, according to the study, which was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.