Here are some consequences:

School performance: Teen drinkers scored lower than non-drinkers on at least six tests - including vocabulary, general knowledge and memory - in an American Medical Association report carried out last year. They're also more likely to fall behind at school.

Emotional maturity: Alcohol disturbs sleep and disrupts the release of hormones necessary for growth and maturing. As a direct result, teenage drinkers tend to have problems later in life with relationships, jobs and money.

Liver damage: Irreparable liver damage happens much quicker in children - five years compared with 10 to 20 years in adults.

Heart problem: Young drinkers are more susceptible to heart attacks both early and later on in life.

Pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs): Children who drink are more likely to have sex younger. They are also more likely to become pregnant in their teens and catch sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea.

Dependency: Teenage binge drinkers are twice as likely to be dependent on alcohol by the age of 30, according to UK government research.

Source: Daily Mirror

Pic: Inácio Pires