Hi!
I just finished an article I'm writing for the Monticello Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol, Jones County Alcohol Reduction Project, and I wanted to see what you thought!

MMCA Article, Teen Brain, submitted by Brenda Hanken

Would you give a pregnant woman alcohol? Would you fill a baby bottle with beer and give it to an infant? Of course not! It’s common knowledge that alcohol has devastating effects on the development of the brain.
Very recent, (2003), research on the effects of alcohol on teen brain development has revealed that the brain is not completely developed until the age of 24 -25 years. This new knowledge has created a nationwide urgency to reduce underage drinking. It is during the teen years that the prefrontal cortex is developing and growing into its adult dimensions. Alcohol creates a negative disruption in this process.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for complex behaviors and vital reflexes. Included are the behaviors and reflexes of: learning, memory formation, decision making, impulse control, judgment, consequences, self-control, motivation, goal-setting, heartbeats, and breathing.
It is clear that teens often lack the maturity and coping skills to successfully refuse offers of alcohol. Hormonal development is occurring in the brain at this time. Emotions and passions are running wild. Teens are seeking strong sensations, excitement, thrills, thereby engaging in impulsive, risky behaviors.
Dangerous situations may result if alcohol is consumed during this stage of brain development. Teen brains are less responsive to the neurotransmitters GABA, (responsible for inducing calmness and sleepiness), and more tolerant of the intoxicating effects (of alcohol) than that of adult brains. This might explain why teens are able to consume higher amounts of alcohol for longer periods of time than adults.
Serious mental disorders, (mood, emotional, depression…), and permanent or irreversible damage to the brain and the central nervous system may result from underage drinking. If the body has too much alcohol, it will be unable to process it. The brain passes through stages of intoxication to unconsciousness, coma, and possibly death.
It is vital for all people over the age of 21 to be made aware of, and informed about, this new information on teen brain development. Not only is it illegal to provide alcohol to minors, it creates dangerous situations, and could cause permanent and irreversible damage to the brain and the central nervous system.
Teens need patient and loving adults in their lives to keep them safe; to help them interpret their emotions; to help them identify their options; and, to help them make responsible decisions as they move from adolescence to young adulthood.
For more information on the effects of alcohol on the development of the teen brain go to:

http://www.drugfreeinfo.org/; http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/; http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/