How can AOD use affect academic performance?

• A. Has no effect on academics.
• B. Impair concentration, memory and sleep; reduces attendance and grades.
• C. Improves concentration, memory and sleep.
• D. Causes hyperfocus and longer study sessions.

Answer: (B)

Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use can harm academic performance because it disrupts the brain functions that support learning. When people are under the influence or dealing with withdrawal, concentration and attention drop, making it harder to follow lectures, participate in class, and take accurate notes. Memory is affected too—new information may not be encoded properly, and recall during tests becomes tougher. Sleep is often disturbed by AOD use, and poor sleep hurts daytime alertness, problem solving, and memory consolidation, all of which undermine study quality and exam performance. Regular use can also lead to more missed classes, hangovers, or irregular routines, which compacts the opportunities to learn and keep up, ultimately showing up as lower grades. While some might think certain substances can boost focus or extend study time, these effects are unreliable and usually come with downsides like worse sleep, anxiety, or crashes that further hurt academics.