30 FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL

Alcohol: It's dangerous, it's addictive, it's everywhere. 

If you're under the legal drinking age of 21, alcohol can be even worse. It can harm brain development and it's harder to stop once you start. 

Even after you turn 21, you should still know the risks of consuming alcohol--especially too much alcohol. 

Healthline shares 30 facts about alcohol, and five myths:

1. The “alcohol” in alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and spirits is actually ethanol, or ethyl alcohol. It’s the only type of alcohol that you can drink without causing serious damage to your body.
2. Alcohol is a depressant. This means that it slows down activity in the brain.
3. Alcohol is among the most commonly misused addictive substances. About 12.7 percentTrusted Source of American adults meet the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD). That’s 1 in 8 adults.
4. Teens who start drinking before the age of 15 are more likely to develop alcohol dependence later on in life.
5. Binge drinking is a pattern of alcohol consumption that involves drinking a lot in a short period of time. For women, four or moreTrusted Source drinks in two hours is considered binge drinking. For men, it’s five or more drinks in two hours.