When I was about 11 years old, I was in fifth grade and I knew some eighth graders. Well, the following year, I was 12 and they were freshmen. I started to hang out with them and I was like the “little sister” (I’m AFAB genderfluid now) of the group.
They got into alcohol from one of the freshmen’s brother and they would offer me some whenever we hung out. Curiosity got the better of me, and sure enough, I was drinking pretty much every time we hung out.
Eventually, my parents found out, I quit the drinking altogether and I never hung out with those people again.
I am quite proud of myself, I haven’t had a drink since I was twelve, actually. But I have heard that drinking alcohol can decrease your performance in things so yeah.
Impossible to tell. Your brain is how it is, rather than worry about what you cannot change, think about what you want to do and how to do it. If you are experiencing cognitive issues or emotional distress that you think might be a long term effect of your young drinking, talk to a therapist or your doctor about how to address those issues now.