British psychologists have found that teen binge drinking causes losses in short-term memory.

Researchers at the University of Northumbria found that heavy drinking - five or more drinks in one sitting - caused teens to perform poorly on tests of memory. Particularly affected was "prospective memory," which involves remembering to do everyday tasks such as calling a friend. The students in the study were 17 to 19 years old.

Dr. Thomas Heffernan said the harm might become long-lasting or permanent. "They could be storing up problems for their futures," he said.

The study was presented at the conference of the British Psychological Society.

Read more about the long term effects of binge drinking at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: binge_drinking, effects, memory

At just 18 years old, Christopher Gleason has enough experience with alcohol addiction to speak with authority about the damage it can cause. He has been drinking since he was 12 and is now in a rehabilitation program. He spoke to a group of Connecticut teens, hoping to discourage them from following in his footsteps.

"As part of a panel discussion on the consequences of underage drinking, Gleason talked about how alcohol and drugs have impacted his life. He'd go to parties and black out, remembering only the earlier part of the evenings. He'd get into fights, he said, and other trouble. He's also burned a lot of bridges."

Though four other panelists participated in the discussion, it was Chris' stories that teens connected with the most. Read more at TheDay.com.

Labels: consequences, effects, role_models

The National Institute of Health is funding a $4 million, four-year study of the long-term effects of marijuana. Dr. Barbara Mason, director of Scripp's Laboratory of Clinical Psychopharmacology, will lead the study which involves three other labs.

About one in nine people who try marijuana become dependent, according to research form the University of Michigan. While alcohol clears the human body within hours, marijuana lingers and can be detected up to 30 days after use. Some symptoms of marijuana withdrawal are sleep disturbances, anxiety, and irritability.

The new research will investigate whether marijuana use affects learning, judgment, and self-control. Dr. Mason and others will also study whether marijuana affects young people differently than adults.

"The thing that troubles a lot of us is that marijuana has an appeal to younger people," said Dr. Reese Jones, a professor of psychiatry at the University of San Francisco. "In recent time we have learned that the adolescent brain is so different in many ways than the final adult version. There is a lot of reason to think that all these issues may be a bigger deal for young people."

NorthStar Center is a residential treatment center for young adults in recovery from substance abuse. Learn more about their program that combines therapy with academics at NorthStarCenter.com.

Labels: effects, long_term_drug_use, marijuana