Should 13 year olds get drunk?

There are a wide variety of things that can happen. One is, the kid gets drunk, processes the alcohol and has no further biologic consequences. This is the most likely result PROVIDED the kid has less than 2 drinks (defined as a 12 ounce beer or 6 ounces of wine) AND the kid doesn't do it again. Another option is the kid goes on to have neurologic problems - decreased attention span, decreased reasoning capacity, decreased memory. This is the most likely result if the kid continues to drink at mild to moderate rates. A third option is the kid can die from alcohol poisoning. This is the most likely result if the kid drinks heavily (3 or more drinks in less than 4 hours, given the above definition of a drink) or continues to drink at heavy to severe rates.

Alcohol is a poison - it causes liver and nerve damage, including the nerves of the brain. In large quantities, it can cause a person to throw up involuntarily. Also, alcohol is a sedative - it slows neurologic function and in large quantities can actually cause a person to breathe so slowly that they stop breathing and die.