Your brain isn't finished developing until you're in your mid-twenties, generally speaking. Using alcohol while your brain is still developing has been shown to affect the parts of the brain that control memory, learning, impulse control, language, and decision-making—in short, parts that are really important!

Your age when you take your first alcoholic drink is also a major factor in your likelihood of addiction down the road. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, people who begin drinking before age 15 are 5 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than people who waited until they turned 21. 

Alcohol is a toxin that affects your central nervous system, and when you drink a lot of it in a short period of time, you're at risk of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is a potentially fatal complication of alcohol use that can cause you to become confused, pass out, throw up, slow or stop breathing, and/or have seizures. A person experiencing alcohol poisoning needs to be seen by a medical professional immediately.

Binge drinking means consuming an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time. Generally speaking, this means five or more drinks within two hours for a man, and four or more drinks within two hours for a woman. Binge drinking can results in accidents, injuries, violent behaviors, sexually transmitted diseases, and alcohol dependence, just to name a few.