May 19, 2026, 8:11 am | Read time: 10 minutes
Beer at barbecues, wine with meals, champagne for toasts–alcohol is omnipresent in our society. But: Alcohol is actually a cellular toxin and an addictive substance, according to the World Health Organization.1 The German Nutrition Society (DGE) therefore states: There is no risk-free amount of alcohol, “ideally zero percent.”2 This is especially true for children and adolescents: Their bodies are still developing, and alcohol can cause significant harm during this phase. However, as they approach puberty, many teenagers become interested in alcohol.3 FITBOOK and Dr. Jakob Maske, a pediatrician from Berlin, explain why alcohol is dangerous for young people and what parents can do to better protect their children.
How Much Do Children and Adolescents Drink Today?
The good news: Teenagers today drink less alcohol overall than previous generations. According to current study data from the Federal Center for Health Education, 65.1 percent of boys and 60.8 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 have tried alcohol. In 2001, it was 88.3 percent of boys and 85.5 percent of girls.4
Regular alcohol consumption has also become less common according to this data: In 2023, 12.4 percent of boys and 6.9 percent of girls between 12 and 17 drank alcohol at least once a week. Compared to 2004, these figures have more than halved. And teenagers are starting a bit later: They now have their first drink at about 15 years old instead of 14 in 2004.
However, binge drinking, or consuming a large amount of alcohol in a short time to intentionally get drunk, remains problematic. There was a significant decline in binge drinking during the COVID-19 years of 2019 to 2021–both among boys and girls. This was likely because teenagers had fewer opportunities to celebrate together during the pandemic. By 2023, the numbers were roughly back to pre-COVID levels: 17.1 percent of boys and 13.1 percent of girls reported having drunk a large amount of alcohol at least once in the past 30 days (meaning five or more drinks on one occasion).
Dr. Jakob Maske, a pediatrician from Berlin and spokesperson for the Professional Association of Pediatricians, sees this as a central risk: Teenagers often don’t drink regularly but find themselves in situations where they binge drink. “Teenagers often can’t yet assess how alcohol affects them,” Maske says in response to a FITBOOK inquiry. “We see this, for example, on school trips. At 14, it suddenly becomes trendy to drink alcohol, then larger quantities are consumed–and often the teenagers don’t even know exactly what they’ve drunk.” Alcohol is particularly harmful to adolescents.
Brain: Alcohol is Poison for Brain Cells
A teenager’s brain is not just a smaller version of an adult brain. Dr. Jakob Maske explains: “The adolescent brain is not yet fully developed, it is not fully networked. This makes it significantly more sensitive to toxins like alcohol, and alcohol can cause much more damage.”
This particularly affects areas important for planning, decision-making, impulse control, risk assessment, and self-regulation.5 Regions responsible for learning, memory, and handling anxiety or stress are also impaired by early alcohol consumption.6 The earlier someone starts drinking, the more it can affect concentration, memory, and academic performance.7 Frequent binge drinking is particularly problematic. Maske states clearly: “Especially during alcohol binges or alcohol poisoning, brain cells can be damaged. And what many don’t know: Brain cells don’t just grow back. If you injure your skin, it grows back, maybe leaving a small scar. But the brain doesn’t just grow back.”
The harmful effects of alcohol consumption in childhood and adolescence also manifest later in adulthood. This is because early drinking also affects the “wiring” in the brain: The connections between individual brain regions may not develop as they should. Areas that control emotions, impulses, and clear thinking can be particularly affected. Additionally, alcohol can increase the risk of developing a real alcohol problem later.8 Alcohol consumption in young years is also linked to mental health issues–such as anxiety disorders or depression, not only in youth but also later in life.9
Alcohol not only changes thinking but also behavior. “Alcohol can make you aggressive and uninhibited,” warns Maske. Consumption often leads to provocative or quarrelsome behavior. This is particularly tricky during adolescence, as teenagers are already more likely to experiment, test boundaries, and underestimate risks.
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Liver: The Detoxification Organ is Strained Early
Alcohol must be broken down in the body, and this primarily occurs in the liver. This process produces acetaldehyde, a toxic intermediate product. Alcohol is therefore an acute and chronic cellular toxin.10 The DGE explicitly mentions liver diseases as a possible consequence of alcohol consumption.
When it comes to teenagers, alcohol is rarely associated with the liver. Severe liver damage like cirrhosis usually develops over a long period and primarily with regular high consumption. However, the strain doesn’t start only in adulthood. Those who drink a lot at once put acute stress on the liver. The higher the amount, the more the body has to detoxify. Medical overviews of alcohol problems in teenagers describe that drinking teenagers can have elevated liver enzymes–an indication of liver strain or damage.11
In everyday life, this means: The body doesn’t just “forgive” alcohol because someone is young. Teenagers may feel fit again quickly after a night out, but that doesn’t mean the toxin can’t harm their bodies.
Growth, Hormones, Puberty: Alcohol Disrupts Acute Maturation Processes
Puberty is not just about pimples, voice changes, and mood swings. During this time, highly complex physical processes occur: growth spurts, sexual maturation, changes in muscle and fat distribution, sleep rhythm. This is because the hormonal system is undergoing significant changes. Scientific reviews describe that heavy alcohol consumption can negatively affect this development, particularly in the area of hormonal regulation.12 The entire pubertal development can thus be delayed.13
Bones: Alcohol as a Problem in Bone Development
Bones in teenagers are not fully developed. On the contrary: Childhood, puberty, and young adulthood are crucial for how much bone mass a person builds. This is precisely why alcohol is problematic during this phase. Animal studies have shown that chronic alcohol consumption during bone development can reduce bone density and the development of maximum bone mass.14
Cancer Risk: The Damage Often Shows Up Years Later
Cancer seems like a disease far off when you’re young. But cancer often results from an accumulation of harmful behaviors, such as smoking and drinking alcohol. Alcohol damages cells, and the risk increases with the amount and duration of consumption. Starting early extends the lifetime exposure to alcohol.
Alcohol has been proven to increase cancer risk, not just in severe alcohol problems: The link is particularly well-documented for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and cancers in the mouth, throat, and larynx. For children and adolescents, the recommendation from the German Cancer Research Center is particularly clear: They should ideally not drink any alcohol at all.15
Dr. Jakob Maske also points out that the previous notion that small amounts are unproblematic has been abandoned. Diseases caused by alcohol can “ultimately affect anyone” and can also lead to cancer.
Small Amounts or Binge Drinking–Which is Worse?
Many parents wonder: Is it worse if teenagers drink a little repeatedly or if they occasionally binge drink at a party? There is no clear answer, says Dr. Jakob Maske. “Party or binge drinking is dangerous in any case. The more often teenagers have such alcohol binges, the greater the risk of brain damage–and that can be irreversible,” the expert explains to FITBOOK. “Drinking small amounts repeatedly was long considered not so bad. But this view has also changed. Anything that is consumed is in the body. If you then realize: Oh, that was quite a lot of alcohol, it’s too late. You can’t just get the alcohol out of your body.” Maske finds sweet, alcoholic mixed drinks particularly problematic in this context: “They taste like juice or soda, masking the alcohol, and many don’t realize how much they’ve actually drunk.”
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What Parents Can Do: Talk and Be a Good Role Model
But how do you teach your children to handle alcohol responsibly? “Getting into a conversation and talking about it is the best prevention,” advises Dr. Maske. And not just right before a party or school trip, but as a topic that comes up repeatedly. The tone should not be: “You must not drink.” Because prohibitions can sometimes make it more appealing. Better are concrete, calm conversations. What do you do if someone offers you alcohol? How do you get home? Who do you call if you or someone else feels unwell? Can you call us even if you’ve messed up? Such agreements can protect by playing out real situations. “We have to be realistic: Teenagers drink alcohol. But we can reduce the amounts, influence the type of alcohol–and possibly ensure they don’t drink at all.”
Maske also emphasizes that knowledge is effective: “Being informed about what alcohol does to the body, health, and even the soul, such as aggression, is absolutely important.” When he explains to teenagers that alcohol can damage the brain, it’s a strong argument for many “not to engage in alcohol binges.” Truly effective prevention, in his view, begins even earlier. “Everything starts with early childhood education,” says Maske. If children learn about health, nutrition, the body, and the environment early on, they are more likely to take care of their health later. “That also means: drinking less alcohol.”
Additionally, there’s the role model function of parents. Children closely observe how alcohol is handled in everyday family life. Is stress regulated with wine? Is beer automatically part of the evening? Is every celebration associated with alcohol? Are children regularly present when alcohol is consumed?16 Maske says: “We see an incredibly high alcohol consumption in Germany. Parents are not always role models. Perhaps they should take this as an opportunity to reconsider their own alcohol consumption and lead by example.”
Youth Protection with Alcohol: “Room for Improvement”
In Germany, alcohol is relatively accessible to teenagers. High-proof spirits like schnapps or brandy are only available from age 18, but at 16, you can legally buy beer, wine, wine-like beverages, and sparkling wine. And from age 14, you can drink beer or wine if accompanied by a legal guardian–this is called “accompanied drinking.”17 Pediatrician Maske shakes his head at the term “accompanied drinking”: “I don’t think that’s good at all,” he says. In general, there is “still significant room for improvement” in youth protection regarding alcohol in Germany. It would be better to raise the age limit.” Studies have also shown that when parents let their children sip alcoholic drinks, they contribute to a more positive attitude towards alcohol.18
Germany is also not particularly strict when it comes to alcohol advertising. There are rules: Advertising must not specifically target children or teenagers, appeal to them, or show them consuming alcohol. Additionally, there are voluntary codes of conduct in the advertising industry. However, this is not a comprehensive advertising ban. The WHO recommends much stricter measures, including restrictions or bans on alcohol marketing–especially in digital advertising and social media. The background is that advertising can normalize alcohol consumption, and studies show a link between alcohol marketing and earlier or heavier consumption among young people.19
Pediatrician Maske believes it is especially important for children and teenagers to understand what alcohol can do to the body and brain: “Then they can make better decisions for their lives.”