Avoidance of high levels of consumption during drinking episodes is of importance during adolescence, given that high levels of alcohol exposure can expose adolescents to a whole raft of potential problems. These include alcohol-related disruptions in memory and brain plasticity to which, as discussed earlier, adolescents are especially sensitive. There are also mutual synergisms between alcohol use and risk-taking, with underage alcohol use, in particular, being both an expression of risk-taking in itself and a facilitator of other risky behaviors (e.g., driving while intoxicated or with someone who is intoxicated, engaging in unwanted or unintended sexual activity).
